Northrop Grumman MEV-2 spacecraft companies Intelsat 1002

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

Intelsat’s IS-1002 satellite tv for pc is almost 18 years previous, and working properly 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, basically re-fueling the satellite tv for pc and giving it a brand new engine for management.

The businesses hit a milestone within the rising enterprise of servicing satellites whereas in area.

“At this time’s profitable docking of our second Mission Extension Automobile additional demonstrates the reliability, security and utility of in-space logistics,” Tom Wilson, vice chairman of Nothrop Grumman’s strategic area techniques stated in a press release. “The success of this mission paves the best way for our second technology of servicing satellites and robotics, providing flexibility and resiliency for each business and authorities satellite tv for pc operators, which may allow fully new lessons of missions.”

Extending the lifetime of an energetic spacecraft in orbit has solely been achieved with human assist earlier than—such because the Hubble telescope servicing missions carried out 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 tv for pc. MEV-2 then matched its orbit earlier than efficiently docking, whereas additionally offering distinctive imagery of the satellite tv for pc 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 companies to Europe, South America, Africa and the Center East. The satellite tv for pc is in a hard and fast place above the Earth in what is named geosynchronous orbit—tens of hundreds of miles as much as present as large a protection space as successfully potential.

The MEV-2 mission builds upon the success of Northrop Grumman’s MEV-1 mission final 12 months, which docked with an inactive Intelsat satellite tv for pc. That satellite tv for pc was in a “graveyard orbit,” that means it was not offering companies, however MEV-1 restored it and moved the satellite tv for pc again into place.

The MEV-2 spacecraft, whereas just like MEV-1, took that mission a step additional by docking and increasing the lifetime of a satellite tv for pc at present in service.

Northern Sky Analysis, a satellite tv for pc consulting agency, estimates that the marketplace for satellite tv for pc servicing and life extensions is a $3.2 billion alternative over the subsequent decade.

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