Intelsat Picks Up Two Awards for Space Sustainability at Satellite 2024

Intelsat VP, Blane Boynton, accepts the MSUA award on behalf of the company. Credit: MSUA

Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks and leading provider of inflight connectivity (IFC), received two awards highlighting the company’s dedication to space sustainability.

Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA) awarded Intelsat its Space Sustainability Innovation award and Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG) awarded its Cooperation of the Year award to Intelsat.

Both awards recognized Intelsat’s work with Northrop Grumman Corporation’s SpaceLogistics and its Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) and Mission Extension Pods (MEP). 

Intelsat’s pursuit of enhanced space sustainability started in 2010 but a major milestone was achieved in 2020 when it became the first satellite operator to commit to deploying Northrop Grumman’s newly developed MEVs to extend the life of satellites in space. 

In 2020, MEV-1 successfully docked with the Intelsat-901 satellite, a high-performing satellite that was simply running low on fuel. That marked the first time that two commercial spacecraft docked and began mission-extension service in geosynchronous orbit (GEO). The in-space maneuver pointed IS-901 to targeted antennas on Earth and extended its life for another five years or 25% of its lifespan. 

In 2021, the feat was repeated with a second MEV-2 docking with the Intelsat 10-02 satellite. Unlike the first docking, which was performed in a graveyard orbit a few hundred kilometers above active satellites, this time the MEV-2 docked with IS-10-12 in its original orbital slot and avoided any interruption of services to customers, resulting in the first-ever in-orbit servicing of a live commercial satellite in GEO. 

“As the largest satellite operator in geosynchronous orbit, Intelsat has always been committed to assuming a leadership role in furthering sustainable space operations. To that end, Intelsat continues to pursue first-of-their-kind innovations to extend the life of its satellites in orbit, while also bringing the industry together to foster information sharing and collaboration across a challenging regulatory environment to achieve sustainable stewardship of the resource of space,” Jean-Luc Froeliger, SVP Space Systems at Intelsat.