GapSat provides satellite operators an entire commercial geostationary communications satellite at their orbital slot, when they need it, for as long as they need it, and move it away afterwards. Applications include meeting surge capacity requirements, seeding business at a new orbital slot, recovery from launch or in-orbit failure and protection of slot filings. Typical missions last from 3 months, for regulatory purposes, to up to three years, while a new satellite is being built and launched.
Our basic offering is the lease of traditional in-orbit geostationary satellites. However, through partnerships, are able to offer small satellites with payloads of around 6 transponders as well as life extension services for operators that wish to continue to use their own satellites when their fuel is running out but have electronics are still healthy. We use propellant gauging to independently determine the remaining fuel with higher reliability than traditional fuel bookkeeping. Then we can either extend the life with the remaining fuel or provide a servicing mission using a small satellite that attaches to the operator’s host satellite to provide a range of services including: life-extension, relocation, deorbiting and orbit and inclination correction manoeuvres using a non-intrusive universal docking system.