Northrop Grumman robotic MEV-2 spacecraft, in a first, catches active Intelsat satellite

Two aerospace companies achieved an trade first on Monday, as a small Northrop Grumman spacecraft docked efficiently with an active Intelsat satellite to supply service and prolong its life.

Intelsat’s IS-1002 satellite is sort of 18 years previous, and working effectively previous its anticipated lifespan, however the Northrop Grumman-built spacecraft known as MEV-2 will add one other 5 years of life to IS-1002, primarily re-fueling the satellite and giving it a new engine for management.

The corporations hit a milestone in the rising enterprise of servicing satellites whereas in house.

“Today’s profitable docking of our second Mission Extension Vehicle additional demonstrates the reliability, security and utility of in-space logistics,” Tom Wilson, vp of Nothrop Grumman’s strategic house methods stated in a assertion. “The success of this mission paves the best way for our second technology of servicing satellites and robotics, providing flexibility and resiliency for each industrial and authorities satellite operators, which may allow completely new courses of missions.”

Extending the lifetime of an active spacecraft in orbit has solely been carried out with human assist earlier than—such because the Hubble telescope servicing missions performed by NASA astronauts.

Launched in August on an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket, the robotic MEV-2 spent the final a number of months touring out to the satellite. MEV-2 then matched its orbit earlier than efficiently docking, whereas additionally offering distinctive imagery of the satellite because the spacecraft approached.

IS-1002 was launched in June 2004 and was solely supposed to be in service for 13 years, offering broadband communications providers to Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East. The satellite is in a fastened place above the Earth in what is named geosynchronous orbit—tens of hundreds of miles as much as present as huge a protection space as successfully attainable.

The MEV-2 mission builds upon the success of Northrop Grumman’s MEV-1 mission last year, which docked with an inactive Intelsat satellite. That satellite was in a “graveyard orbit,” that means it was not offering providers, however MEV-1 restored it and moved the satellite again into place.

The MEV-2 spacecraft, whereas much like MEV-1, took that mission a step additional by docking and lengthening the lifetime of a satellite at the moment in service.

Northern Sky Research, a satellite consulting agency, estimates that the market for satellite servicing and life extensions is a $3.2 billion opportunity over the subsequent decade.

The agency forecasts that there’s demand for servicing upward of 75 satellites by 2030, with corporations and governments trying to prolong the lifespan of sometimes costly geosynchronous equatorial orbit satellites, slightly than launch replacements.