The Client Called Every Day. We Have Counted.
ORC-V1 “Maud” completed a standard LEO retrieval at 584 km for a European commercial operator. The mission proceeded within normal parameters. Rendezvous was achieved on day 9. Capture was completed on day 17. Controlled deorbit was confirmed on day 29 over the South Pacific uninhabited zone. Documentation was issued within 14 working days. The mission is considered complete and successful.
The mission itself was routine. Maud performed well. The object was where it was supposed to be. The capture was clean. The deorbit was clean. From an operational standpoint, this report should be one paragraph.
From a client-management standpoint, this report requires a dedicated section, a contact log, and [REDACTED].
The client was provided with a briefing pack at mission commencement. The briefing pack contained the update schedule. The update schedule listed seven planned ORC communications across the 29-day mission. The client interpreted this schedule as [REDACTED].
A. Kowalski managed all client communications personally. A. Kowalski’s mission log, which is normally a technical document, contains the following entry on day 14: [REDACTED].
The client called on day 29, one hour before the ORC scheduled re-entry confirmation call, to ask if there was “any news.” There was. A. Kowalski asked if they could call back in an hour. They could not wait an hour. A. Kowalski told them the re-entry had been confirmed. The client asked how we knew so quickly. We explained that we had been watching. [REDACTED].
The client sent a thank-you letter after mission completion. The letter was warm and appreciative. The letter noted that they had “felt very informed throughout.” We have filed it. The client has been offered a pre-mission briefing call for future engagements, during which we will discuss the update schedule in more detail. They have accepted.
| Service tier | S-01 Standard Retrieval |
| Vehicle | ORC-V1 “Maud” |
| Altitude | LEO · 584 km |
| Mission duration | 29 days |
| Planned client updates | 7 |
| Actual client contacts | 29 (one per mission day) |
| Client-initiated calls | 22 |
| Calls containing new information | 7 (all ORC-initiated) |
| Times A. Kowalski explained the update schedule | 4 |
| Times client acknowledged the update schedule | 4 |
| Times client then called anyway | 22 |
| Re-entry confirmed | Day 29 · South Pacific uninhabited zone |
| Client satisfaction | High. Very high. They felt “very informed.” |
- The briefing pack update schedule will be amended to include a note explaining that the listed updates are the complete planned communication schedule, and that additional calls are welcome at mission milestones but may not result in additional information. We are aware this note will not work. We are adding it anyway.
- A. Kowalski’s handling of 29 days of daily client contact, while maintaining full mission controller responsibilities for an active GEO operation running in parallel, is noted. A. Kowalski was nominated for Employee of the Quarter. T. Davies won Employee of the Quarter. A. Kowalski has been informed that the nomination was made. A. Kowalski has not responded.
- The client’s comment that they “felt very informed throughout” is the intended outcome of our client communications policy, achieved here at approximately three times the planned resource cost. We are reviewing whether this is a communications policy problem or a briefing pack problem. It may be neither. It may simply be this client.
- The client has booked a second mission. A. Kowalski has been assigned a different account for that period. This was a scheduling decision. It was also, we acknowledge, slightly more than a scheduling decision.