Tag: Satellite Servicing
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Spaceium Demonstrates High-Precision Robotic Actuator for Future In-Orbit Refueling
U.S. robotics startup Spaceium has demonstrated a high-precision actuator in orbit, a technology it says could enable future robotic refueling and servicing of satellites. The component flew aboard a SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission launched in November and was tested in space rather than in laboratory conditions. According to the company, the device achieved rotational accuracy…
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Quindar to Provide Automated Mission Control for Starfish Space’s Otter Servicing Missions
Quindar will supply secure, automated mission control infrastructure to Starfish Space for the first three missions of its Otter satellite servicing vehicle, the companies announced. Starfish Space is developing the Otter spacecraft to provide on-orbit life-extension and end-of-life services for satellites, including docking, maneuvering and disposal support. Quindar said its automation-focused platform will enable Starfish…
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India’s Aule Space Raises $2 Mln to Develop Autonomous Satellite Servicing
Indian deep-tech start-up Aule Space said on Thursday it has raised $2 million in a pre-seed funding round to advance development of autonomous satellites capable of docking with and servicing other spacecraft in orbit. The round was led by venture capital firm pi Ventures, with participation from angel investors including Eash Sundaram, a former Intelsat…
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SES Signs Deal for Europe’s First Commercial Satellite Life-Extension Mission
Satellite operator SES has signed an agreement with French startup Infinite Orbits for a life-extension mission involving one geostationary satellite, marking the first commercial satellite life-extension operation in Europe, the companies said on Thursday. The mission will use Endurance™, a 750kg servicing vehicle developed by Infinite Orbits to provide in-orbit support functions including station keeping,…
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Astroscale aced the world’s first rendezvous with a piece of space junk
There’s a scene in the film Interstellar where Matthew McConaughey’s character flies his spaceplane up to meet a mothership spinning out of control. The protagonist rises to the challenge with a polished piece of piloting and successfully links up with his objective. Real life, of course, isn’t quite this dramatic. Slow down that spin to a…
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NASA cancels a multibillion-dollar satellite servicing demo mission
NASA has canceled an over-budget, behind-schedule mission to demonstrate robotic satellite servicing technology in orbit, pulling the plug on a project that has cost $1.5 billion and probably would have cost nearly $1 billion more to get to the launch pad. The On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 mission, known as OSAM-1, would have grappled…
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Mission Extension Vehicles succeed as Northrop Grumman works on future servicing/debris clean-up craft
With the successful docking of Mission Extension Vehicle 2, or MEV-2, to the Intelsat 10-02 satellite last month, Northrop Grumman not only repeated the task of successfully attaching one of their MEV spacecraft to a functioning satellite but also successfully proved the ability to grab a still-transmitting telecommunications satellite without disrupting service. The success of…
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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…
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Budget proposal puts NASA satellite servicing mission in doubt
Artist’s concept of the Restore-L spacecraft (left) with the Landsat 7 satellite (right) for an in-orbit refueling demonstration. Credit: Space Systems/Loral NASA plans to shelve a robotic demonstration mission to refuel an aging Landsat Earth-imaging observatory and join forces with the private sector and a U.S. military research and development agency in a public-private partnership…
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NASA selects builder for robotic satellite servicing craft
Artist’s concept of the Restore-L spacecraft (left) with the Landsat 7 satellite (right) for an in-orbit refueling demonstration. Credit: Space Systems/Loral NASA has a builder to construct a five-ton spacecraft to catch up with the aging Landsat 7 Earth observation satellite and refuel it in 2020, employing robotic tools mastered in years of rehearsals on…