Service, Refuel, or Replace? The New Economics of Spacecraft Lifecycles
Spacecraft have traditionally been treated as single-use assets: launch them, operate them until fuel or capability is exhausted, and then replace or retire them. On-orbit servicing, life extension, inspection, relocation, and emerging refueling capabilities are beginning to offer operators new choices. This panel examines the business case behind those choices. When does extending an asset’s life provide more value than launching a replacement? When can refueling, repositioning, or upgrading improve resilience or generate additional revenue? When should an operator deorbit a spacecraft or move it to a graveyard orbit? Panelists will address mission risk, servicing costs, spacecraft compatibility, insurance, liability, customer demand, government procurement, and the standards needed to make servicing routine. Drawing on demonstrated missions and near-term commercial capabilities, the discussion will identify which lifecycle services have viable customers today—and what must change before spacecraft are routinely designed, financed, and operated as serviceable assets.
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