I will admit that there’s nothing very practical about this item, in terms of “news you can use” — unless you’re looking to create a new satellite and would prefer to do so via upcycling. 

But that’s basically what the item is about: repurposing old satellites into new satellites. Which is awesome. A snippet:

Our growing space junk problem could become an orbiting spare satellite parts sale if DARPA has its way. The DoD’s research arm has launched a new program, appropriately titled Phoenix, to create new satellites from the decommissioned and dead satellites currently sitting idle in geosynchronous orbit some 22,000 miles above the Earth.