The US Space Force Will Conduct A Study On Filling Satellite Fuel In Orbit

JAKARTA The US Space Force (USSF) is starting to doubt the benefits of charging satellite fuel in orbit. Despite doubts, they remain interested in the idea of extending the life and mobility of satellites. Therefore, citing from Spacenews, the USSF will analyze the benefits of in-depth refueling from the commercial industry. This analysis must be completed before investment into refueling is carried out so that the funds can be well allocated. Colonel Rich Kniseley, Head of the Commercial Space Office of Space Command Space Space Space Space Force, said that the USSF became hesitant after hearing the statement by Space Operations Chief General Chance Saltzman at the congressional hearing in April. At that time, Saltzman told the House Allocation Committee that the USSF's plan to switch to cheaper satellites made the idea of refueling in orbit less convincing. USSF also considered the statement of Saltman.

Kniseley said that the US space military is trying to adopt in-orbit refueling for the most expensive geostationary satellites. However, the USSF still needs to consider whether demand will be large enough to retain the market. "(Satellite fuel charging) allows us to use our system longer, perform more trajectories," said Kniseley. "And it also allows us to delay sending replacement units and relocate such budgets." Kniseley hopes that the USSF could utilize fueling services eventually. However, for now, "we are still running models and simulations, and we are using the limited budget we currently have to carry out the analysis."