Tag: MEV 1
-
Intelsat satellite resumes operations after docking of robotic servicer
The MEV 1 satellite captured this image of Intelsat 901 in February as it approached the aging communications satellite more than 22,000 miles above Earth. Credit: Northrop Grumman An Intelsat communications spacecraft running low on fuel has resumed commercial operations more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the Atlantic Ocean after getting an assist…
-
Photos: Servicing spacecraft approaches Intelsat satellite high above Earth
Northrop Grumman’s first Mission Extension Vehicle captured spectacular views of the commercial Intelsat 901 communications satellite as it approached for docking this week, providing the first-ever up-close public views of a spacecraft flying near geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth. Flying on autopilot, the MEV 1 spacecraft docked with the Intelsat 901 satellite…
-
It’s a first: One commercial satellite docks with another to demonstrate orbital servicing
An image captured by Northrop Grumman’s MEV-1 satellite shows the Intelsat 901 satellite at a distance of about 80 meters, with Earth in the background. (Northrop Grumman / SpaceLogistics Photo) For the first time, one commercial satellite has docked with another satellite in geosynchronous orbit, demonstrating a technology that will be crucial for on-orbit servicing…
-
Two commercial satellites link up in space for first time
The Intelsat 901 satellite, backdropped by planet Earth, is seen by Northrop Grumman’s first Mission Extension Vehicle more than 22,000 miles over the Pacific Ocean. Credit: Northrop Grumman A Northrop Grumman robotic servicing spacecraft has hooked up with an aging Intelsat communications satellite more than 22,000 miles over the Pacific Ocean, accomplishing the first link-up…
-
Northrop Grumman makes history, Mission Extension Vehicle docks to target satellite
Four and a half months after its launch on a Proton-M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle has made history, successfully docking with its target satellite above Geostationary Orbit to extend that satellite’s lifetime well beyond the original plan. The successful maneuver marked a groundbreaking change in how satellites…
-
ILS announce two future launches, including the test of Orbital ATK’s MEV-1
International Launch Services (ILS) is continuing to plan out its future manifest by announcing two new missions via the signing of launch services contracts. The missions both involve EUTELSAT birds, via the first use of a first commercial contract incorporating the use of the newly announced Proton Medium rocket and the first commercial shared launch…