Satellite Life Extension in GEO: How Our LEXI Servicer Maximizes Satellite Value
The GEO communications market is rapidly evolving. Operators must adapt quickly or fall behind fast as accelerating technological changes and increasing competition puts greater pressure on return on investment (ROI). Our Life Extension solution (LEX®) is driven by LEXI® (Life Extension-In Orbit) servicers that are designed to unlock new opportunities for in-orbit assets and capture previously untapped value for satellite operators.
How LEXI Supports GEO Satellite Operators
By extending the operational life of existing spacecraft, LEXI enables operators to gain greater flexibility and control over fleet management and CAPEX planning. Made for multi-mission operations that can service several customer satellites over its lifetime, it provides a flexible solution for long-term satellite sustainment.
LEXI can perform a range of mission-critical functions, such as:
Station-keeping and attitude control
Inclination correction
Satellite relocation within GEO
By maintaining satellite operations after fuel depletion, AOCS subsystem failures, or delays in satellite replacements, LEXI helps operators avoid service interruptions, protect their revenue streams, and maintain communications coverage.
Key Capabilities of the LEXI Satellite Servicer
Safe rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), and docking using a multi-sensor navigation suite and advanced guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) algorithms
Docking system compatible with multiple GEO satellite launch adapter rings (LAR) for flexible servicing across satellite platforms
Payload hosting to expand missions and capabilities
Chemical propulsion system provides safe and precise maneuverability for close-approach operations
The ability to independently dock and undock to support additional servicing missions
End-of-life disposal support by transferring satellites to graveyard orbit
Now LEXI-P (Life Extension In-Orbit - Prime), the first of our LEXI servicers, has achieved new technical milestones that bring it closer to delivering reliable in-orbit satellite servicing that can extend the operational life of GEO satellites and enable operators to maximize the value of their space assets.
Test It Like You Fly it: Validating and Advancing LEXI-P through 6DoF Testing
LEXI-P, in development by the Astroscale U.S. team to be launch-ready in 2027, recently completed closed loop six degrees of freedom (6DoF) testing with its integrated RPO payload.
Our engineers conducted this testing at GMV’s robotics laboratory in Spain to validate LEXI-P’s RPO software and capabilities that enable it to sense, control, and maneuver in all directions in three-dimensional space.
The testing confirmed that LEXI-P can:
Accurately approach a client
Align and position with the client
Execute docking maneuvers safely and precisely
Closed-loop testing showed that LEXI-P can respond dynamically, as it would while operating in orbit. Using real-time imagery processed by flight software, the servicer executed motion adjustments based on what it was seeing rather than by following pre-scripted movements.
These simulations replicated the final 12–15 meters of approach and docking, the most critical phase of an on-orbit servicing mission.
GMV’s advanced robotics facility enables highly realistic mission simulations, making it possible to validate spacecraft behavior in conditions that most closely resemble space. Our Engineering Fellow Teresa Williams explained, “We can test pieces of a system, but how can you be sure that when you put all the pieces together and then put them in their intended environment that they'll still do what you want them to do? Well, that answer is test it like you fly it. That’s the best you can do.”
Building LEXI-P and Operational Confidence in Satellite Servicing
The successful 6DoF testing helps our engineers incorporate key insights into their operational procedures as LEXI-P moves through the assembly and integration phases. At the same time, we have partnered with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to construct LEXI-P’s bus.
We selected SwRI for its extensive and proven spacecraft engineering, particularly in and beyond GEO. The organization is also supporting Astroscale U.S.’s Provisioner™ refueling servicer built for the United States Space Force for servicing in GEO.
The Future of Satellite Life Extension
When LEXI-P reaches launch readiness in 2027, it will build on our growing record of successful RPO missions that include:
Provisioner, which will be launch-ready this year for the first-ever refueling of a USSF asset
ADRAS-J, the first mission to safely approach and identify a large piece of debris within 15 meters, operated by Astroscale Japan
ELSA-d, the world’s first commercial mission to capture and release orbital debris
These missions demonstrate our innovation and leadership in satellite servicing, including debris removal and fleet logistics technologies.
Transform Your Satellite Operations in GEO
With our LEX in-orbit servicing solutions at the helm, operators can now redefine what fleet management means in a way that eases common pain points and maximizes ROI.
Contact the Astroscale U.S. team to learn how satellite life extension and in-orbit servicing can support your fleet operations.
