The Evolution of Commercial Satellite Servicing and its National Security Implications

Thursday, September 6, 2018

On September 6, 2018, SWF Director of Program Planning Dr. Brian Weeden gave a keynote presentation at the 2018 U.S. Strategic Command Advanced Operational Law Conference in Omaha, Nebraska. The Conference brought together more than 100 lawyers from the U.S. and allied militaries to talk about current issues in operational military law, including space. Dr. Weeden's keynote provided an overview of advances in commercial rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) and on-orbit satellite servicing (OOS) using examples of specific plans for satellite inspection, life extension, refueling, modular components, and end-of-life services. Dr. Weeden also discussed how these services will have national security implications and several initiatives that could help deal with those implications.