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ExoAnalytic Demonstrates Value-Added Service to Provide Direct Support to First Successful On-Orbit Servicing in Geosynchronous Orbit

April 4, 2022

FOOTHILL RANCH, CA – New CONFERS Sustaining Member ExoAnalytic Solutions Inc. was contracted to provide space domain awareness data and analysis to support the successful Mission Extension Vehicles (MEV-1 and MEV-2). The first mission was observed every night as the industry’s first satellite life extension vehicle, completed its first docking to a client satellite, Intelsat IS-901 on February 25, 2020. The second Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-2) was observed every night until it docked with its client, Intelsat IS-1002 on April 12, 2021. Both extension vehicles were tracked through low-thrust electric propulsion orbit raising over several months, followed by several weeks of rendezvous and proximity operations prior to a successful docking. The Mission Extension Vehicles and their clients are under continuing persistent observation today. As part of our support for these missions, ExoAnalytic pioneered methods for enabling precision understanding of spacecraft in proximity operations including optically differentiating both spacecraft at near and far ranges. ExoAnalytic is proud of its reliable and precision support which facilitated the first successful satellite servicing missions in geosynchronous orbit and is continuing to improve value-added services which may enable even more ambitious operations in the future in GEO and beyond. ExoAnalytic continues to develop information services which can be used to enhance the flight safety associated with OOS and RPO.

The Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS) is an industry-led initiative that aims to leverage best practices from government and industry to research, develop, and publish non-binding, consensus-derived technical and operations standards for on-orbit satellite servicing (OOS) and rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO). These standards would provide the foundation for a new commercial repertoire of robust space-based capabilities and a future in-space economy.  On March 30th, 2022 CONFERS announced ExoAnalytic Solutions as a new Sustaining Member and recognized the contribution persistent dedicated space domain awareness makes to OOS and RPO.  ExoAnalytic CEO Dr. Doug Hendrix explains “On-Orbit Servicing, Rendezvous and Proximity Operations, and deep space logistics at their core benefit from precision knowledge of spacecraft states as they enter autonomous operations.  As we see more of these missions be successful, ExoAnalytic Solutions will continue to provide persistent, precise, and dedicated data exploitation services from ground-based and eventually space-based sensors.  We see our active participation in CONFERS as a meaningful way to engage with the OOS community and to explore with them what is possible when missions are planned and executed with dedicated flight safety information driving their operations in the digital and physical domains.”

ExoAnalytic Solutions is a small US- business and a recognized industry leader in Space Domain Awareness (SDA), Digital Engineering, Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), and advanced algorithm development for difficult tracking problems including hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles, dynamic space objects, and cislunar space objects.  Exo’s network and tools have developed over more than a decade to comprise a Human-Computer Interaction system with an integrated, deployed AI/ML solution that is trained by the largest and most painstakingly curated SSA database in the world.  Value-added services derived from this infrastructure are now being applied to support some of the most important missions and capability demonstrations in the space industry.  Going forward, ExoAnalytic is actively working to ensure that persistent and precise space domain awareness is available wherever ambitious space operations require it.