In-space assembly and manufacturing, or ISAM, is an increasingly important field as the industry explores ways to repair, refuel or extend the life of satellites rather than launch new ones.

In a new "state of ISAM" article, space news outlet Payload speaks to several people working to advance the field, whether through standards, new hardware, or industry coordination. Among them was Aerospace's Greg Richardson, executive director of the Consortium for Space Mobility and ISAM Capabilities (COSMIC).

Richardson pointed out to reporter Douglas Gorman that the term ISAM (and its variants) are perhaps a bit premature in their use:

"I do think we’ve done ourselves a disservice, a little bit, by putting servicing and assembly and manufacturing into one acronym. They are different types of missions with a different spectrum for when they might become available, or when they might be most useful."

That's why organizing the industry and sharing information freely among companies and research projects is so important — which is a big part of what COSMIC does.