According to Kneller , a servicing vehicle like the Otter , with its core technologies , could be a breakthrough . Like most businesses , he said there is likely to be increasing value in the ability to service a satellite upon a customer ’ s request in a rapid or “ on-demand ” fashion . He said that initially , “ The primary missions are life extension and debris removal … in the future , we could use our technology for missions like satellite repair and assembly .” He added , “ The goal would be to have dozens of Otters in orbit ,” which would service satellites as needed . Otter ’ s small size and rapid availability will maximize its commercial viability .
Of the debris removal mission , he noted that the satellites in a constellation , when broken or malfunctioning , need to be removed from the constellation so that they don ’ t damage other satellites . The Otter would be able to conduct this task to pull it out of orbit to “ burn up ” in the atmosphere .
Customers may operate satellites focused on a wide variety of use cases , and there are likely to be “ tons of commercial and government customers [ in low-Earth orbit ],” Kneller said .
DECEMBER 2022 | JANUARY 2023 ISSUE NO . 30 13