Published , by Chris Jarrard
Published , by Chris Jarrard
Aerospace history was made earlier this week when a Northrop Grumman MEV-2 spacecraft successfully with an active satellite still in orbit. The successful pairing will ensure that the eighteen-year-old satellite can stay in service for up to five more years.
The industry-first was ultimately the product of a partnership between Northrop Grumman and Intelsat, who run the satellite. The Intelsat IS-10-02 is nearly eighteen years old and has been operating well past its expected duty cycle. The Northrop Grumman-built spacecraft MEV-2 will add another five years of life to IS-10-02 and re-fuel the satellite. The mission also provided a new control engine.
This week’s accomplishment will likely lead to further missions to service orbiting satellites. “Today’s successful docking of our second Mission Extension Vehicle further demonstrates the reliability, safety, and utility of in-space logistics,” Tom Wilson, vice president of Northrop Grumman’s strategic space systems said in a statement. “The success of this mission paves the way for our second generation of servicing satellites and robotics, offering flexibility and resiliency for both commercial and government satellite operators, which can enable entirely new classes of missions.”
Prior to this week, the servicing of active satellites has been limited to manned space missions. Using unmanned aerial vehicles such as the MEV-2 will increase safety and reduce potential waste. Northrop’s MEV-1 craft completed a mission last year that saw it dock with a decommissioned Intelsat satellite that was in dead orbit. It was largely a dry run for the job MEV-2 accomplished.