All articles tagged with #on orbit servicing
SpaceX launches Northrop Grumman's MRV-MEP on-orbit satellite repair mission, signaling a move into servicing existing satellites to extend their lifespans and create a new service-based revenue stream alongside launches and Starlink, while highlighting capital-intensity and cash runway risks for investors.
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.
NASA says it could reboost the Hubble Space Telescope if operating costs can be reduced, using lessons from the ongoing Link servicing mission to the Swift Observatory. A successful, lower-cost reboost could extend Hubble’s life beyond the current decay window and signal ROI for future on-orbit servicing, though Hubble’s operating costs are currently high and the project remains high risk.
In 2025, a robot satellite in geostationary orbit will attempt to affix a new imaging sensor payload on a military satellite using a robot arm developed by DARPA and the Naval Research Laboratory. The mission, overseen by the Defense Innovation Unit, aims to upgrade the satellite's hardware, a major technological challenge. The Mission Robotics Vehicle (MRV) being built by Northrop Grumman's subsidiary SpaceLogistics will perform the mission, which is part of the effort to match commercial technologies with military needs for in-orbit services.
Colorado-based company Orbit Fab aims to address the growing problem of space junk by refueling satellites in orbit instead of decommissioning them. The company is developing a system that includes a standardized fuel port, refueling shuttles, and orbital gas stations. Orbit Fab's first private customer will be Astroscale, a Japanese satellite servicing company. The long-term goal is to establish a market for on-orbit refueling and eventually build refineries in space to process materials launched from Earth.