Satellite Industry Advances with New Technologies and Partnerships

Intelsat has ordered one of Northrop Grumman's latest service technology iterations, which involves extending the life of valuable satellites already in orbit. The new approach represents a shift in business strategy for Intelsat from "renting" the technology for a certain number of years to owning. However, the size of the market for satellite servicing largely depends on the number of geosynchronous satellites that would benefit from life extension, making satellite servicing still a niche market.