Satellites use solar energy to power their electronics, but they rely on gas to maintain orbit or change position. Once tapped out, dead satellites become space junk, which threatens new orbital ventures. To prevent this, NASA is testing the feasibility of using robots to fuel and repair satellites on the fly or tow them to a new job site.
The agency’s Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office has identified 242 end-of-lifers destined to run out of gas in the next five to six years. The challenge is that, for now, before a satellite leaves the ground, technicians fill its fuel tank and seal it—for good. “No satellite in orbit was designed to be serviced, because no servicer exists,” says Ben Reed, an engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
In August, NASA will be asking Dextre, a two-armed robot torso built by the Canadian Space Agency and housed on the International Space Station, to use a variety of tools to reach a simulated sealed fuel tank and fill ‘er up. Engineers on the ground in Houston will control the maneuvers, which are the most intricate ever done by a robot in space. After NASA completes these proof-of-concept tests, Reed says, the agency will encourage private companies to take up the technique. Hopefully a few will step up and offer roadside assistance in space.
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