Astrium is preparing a new technology mission for the maintenance and disposal of satellites. At the ILA Berlin Air Show, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) Space Administration announced that Astrium (Friedrichshafen) will be prime contractor for the definition phase of the DEOS (German orbital servicing mission) project. The DEOS project will for the first time demonstrate technologies for the controlled in-orbit disposal of a defective satellite. The definition phase is the last, decisive step before construction begins on the space vehicles themselves.
