Private Mission Launches To Extend Life of Out-of-Gas Communication Satellites (phys.org)
- Reference: 0184596336
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/07/23/0534215/private-mission-launches-to-extend-life-of-out-of-gas-communication-satellites
- Source link: https://phys.org/news/2026-07-private-mission-life-gas-communication.html
> Launched by SpaceX, Northrop Grumman's mission robotic vehicle -- dubbed MRV -- and its jetpacks will spend the next year angling into the proper orbit 22,300 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth. Hundreds of satellites orbit at this so-called geosynchronous orbit, where they match the speed of Earth's rotation and keep to the same part of the sky for continuous coverage. Once in place by mid-2027, the minivan-sized spacecraft will use its 10-foot (9-meter) arms to attach a jetpack to an aging communication satellite. Then it will zip off to two more satellites in need.
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> For its debut flight, the spacecraft was accompanied by three electric-propelled jetpacks that peeled away separately following liftoff. Like the MRV, the jetpacks will use their own xenon gas thrusters to get to the desired orbit. Once in place, the jetpacks will wait for the robot to grab them, one at a time, and plug them into their designated satellites. Each jetpack -- the size of a washing machine -- will provide the necessary oomph for an out-of-gas satellite to keep operating for several more years instead of retiring. If it works, it will be a boon for satellite operators SES of Luxembourg and Optus of Australia, saving them millions of dollars in replacement costs.
[1] https://news.northropgrumman.com/launch/northrop-grummans-mission-robotic-vehicle-launches-ushering-in-a-new-era-of-in-space-servicing
[2] https://phys.org/news/2026-07-private-mission-life-gas-communication.html
dual use (Score:2)
Such a system could also be used to attach to an enemy sat and deorbit it - an attack on a strategic target.
Re: (Score:3)
That's like saying a Toyota Prius is dual use because you can drive one up to infantry standing against a wall and slowly crush them using it. Every military even remotely competitive at the orbital theater has incomparably cheaper and more reliable ways to disable satellites than to gently de-orbit them using a vehicle designed for sustained operation with very low acceleration requirements.
If there's any military utility, it'd be to attach devices that could intercept or tamper with communication going t
Re: (Score:2)
Ummm. I mean, it could. What would the point be? I mean, there are much easier ways to make it inactive than de-orbiting it, including ones that also don't require blowing it up into shrapnel, etc. It doesn't really seem to introduce any new vulnerabilities. Unless you're suggesting dropping it on a target, in which case it's still far easier to just use the rocket you used to launch your interceptor as a missile to fire at the ground based target anyway.
10 feet do not 9 meters make (Score:1)
10 feet = 3.05 meters
Re: (Score:2)
Except this guy has REALLY big feet...
Math (Score:2)
Before any "why wasn't this done before" conspiracy theories... It still takes the same fuel, energy, etc. The ideal rocket equation hasn't changed. Only the rocket has.
Re: (Score:2)
The thrust to weight and specific impulse of ion thrusters, as well as the power to weight capability of the solar panels that'll be powering them, have actually been changing a lot, and that really shrunk the payload needed to make one of these "jetpacks" useful. The cost of the orbital launch per unit of mass changed less than what we can do with the mass once it's in orbit.
Re: (Score:2)
Not really sure what you're trying to say about "conspiracy theories". I'm pretty sure there aren't too many people on this article with that kind of mindset. As far as whether it has been done before, the basic concept has, but this seems to be the first mission with independent booster systems that join up with a main robotic mechanic system. I am also not sure what you mean by "it takes the same fuel, energy, etc." The same as what? Basically this is using Xenon propellant in Hall effect thrusters that