SES has signed an agreement for a geostationary (GEO) satellite life extension mission with Infinite Orbits.

The companies said the deal marks Europe’s first commercial satellite life extension mission.

Endurance, a 750kg docking vehicle designed for life extension missions, will launch in late 2027 and dock with an unnamed SES GEO satellite following an in-orbit demonstration.

Adel Haddoud, CEO of Infinite Orbits, said: “We started Infinite Orbits with a focused goal to master a set of technologies allowing for competitive in-orbit services. To change the way we use space, in-orbit services must not only be safe, but they must also be compatible with our customers’ needs. We firmly believe that this is essential if we are to offer operators new opportunities to optimize their assets and promote a more sustainable approach to space.”

In-orbit services provider Infinite Orbits said the mission will extend the lifespan of at least one of SES’s GEO satellites by five years, with further missions under consideration in the years ahead.

Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES, added: “Extending the operational life of our GEO satellites is important for delivering continued value to customers and optimizing satellite economics. At the same time, we remain committed to advancing space sustainability through innovative approaches. We are excited to collaborate with Infinite Orbits to enable responsible use of space while ensuring long-term service continuity.”

Supported from its early stage by the European Commission through the European Innovation Council (EIC), this first commercial mission is being cofunded by the French governmental program France 2030.

Several other firms are developing mission extension satellites.

Northrop Grumman Space Logistics’ Mission Extension Vehicle MEV-1 completed its first docking to a client satellite, Intelsat IS-901, in February 2020, to keep the satellite operational for a further five years, while MEV-2 docked with the Intelsat IS-1002 satellite in 2021. The companies are due to collaborate on at least one other mission extension satellite, due to launch next year on a six-year mission on an unnamed Intelsat machine.

MEV-1 this year pushed IS-901 into a graveyard orbit, completing its five-year extension mission and seeing the satellite decommissioned after nearly 24 years of service.

SES acquired Intelsat in 2024, in a deal that closed over the summer.