Erick the Engineer

The number of active satellites has grown dramatically in the past decade, from about 1,400 in 2015 to more than 11,000 today, with projections reaching 18,000 by 2030. This surge presents both opportunities and risks. While extended satellite lifespans offer economic advantages, any failure can incur significant costs.

The U.S. National Strategy for In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM), released by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, highlights routine inspection, repair, and modular servicing as a national priority. Achieving this vision requires robotic systems that are both dexterous and adaptable to a wide range of spacecraft designs.

A promising pathway is the development of a modular servicing toolkit. Such a system would include inspection modules equipped with vision-based detection to identify damage or degradation. It would also incorporate manipulation modules capable of reseating connectors, tightening fasteners, or performing seal checks. Most importantly, the toolkit would be designed with standardized interfaces so that different tools can be swapped depending on mission needs.

These modular architectures extend the lifespan of satellites and reduce mission risk by avoiding premature replacements that cost hundreds of millions of dollars per spacecraft. They also create a pathway for scalable, repeatable servicing missions, making space operations more sustainable and cost-efficient.

Looking forward, ISAM-compliant servicing capabilities will be a cornerstone of space resilience. They will provide the agility to respond to anomalies, extend operational lifetimes, and reduce debris generation. In a space environment that is becoming increasingly congested and contested, robotic servicing is not a luxury. It is a necessity for sustaining U.S. leadership in orbit.