Robot-servicing era begins as SpaceX and Northrop launch MRV for multi-satellite GEO work

SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) to geostationary orbit to service multiple aging satellites using detachable Mission Extension Pods; MRV will move from one satellite to another, using robotic arms and its own propulsion, and will extend GEO lifetimes by about six years for its first customers Intelsat and Optus, signaling a shift toward routine in-space servicing with origins in DARPA’s RoGS program and potential Space Force utility.