This Satellite Will Fix Existing Satellites in Space

Satellites in geosynchronous orbit are far away, at 22,000 miles, they are usually big and costly, and they usually perform important duties. So, when billion-dollar communications or weather satellites break down in space, their loss is significant.

The good news is that there’s a new satellite that will be able to fix those older satellites in orbit. The bad news is that explaining this will require an abundance of the kind of acronyms that only government agencies can create. Buckle up and try to follow along through the alphabet soup.

The problem of expensive, but broken, satellites is why the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST) inaugurated a project to develop a satellite that could repair those satellites.

Using money from DARPA, NRL NCST has built a two-armed orbiting robot that will be able to service satellites. The project is called the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) and the mechanical mechanic is the Integrated Robotic Payload (IRP).  NRL has delivered the IRP delivered to DARPA’s commercial partner, Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics, for integration with that company’s spacecraft bus, the Mission Robotics Vehicle (MRV).

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The IRP/MRV vehicle just completed vacuum testing to prove its readiness for space. “The recent completion of thermal vacuum testing marks a major milestone toward achieving the program’s goal of demonstrating robotic servicing capabilities on orbit in the near future,” said NRL Director of Research Dr. Bruce Danly. “NRL’s contributions to the robotic payload are an essential part of realizing this vision, which promises to transform satellite operations in geostationary orbit, reduce costs for satellite operators, and enable capabilities well beyond what we have today.”

Those capabilities include on-orbit upgrades and refueling of the satellites’ thruster propellant. Today’s satellites are typically launched with a heavy load of excess fuel and with redundant backup systems, which contributes to their complexity, weight, and cost. The ability to service satellites in geosynchronous orbit makes it practical to launch cheaper, lighter satellites to perform those tasks.

“The military regularly fixes aircraft, tanks, ships, and trucks that break,” points out Glen Henshaw, Ph.D., NRL senior scientist for Robotics and Autonomous Systems. “We upgrade aircraft and ships with the latest radars, computers, and engines. Satellites are the only expensive equipment we buy that can’t be repaired or upgraded once they are in the field, and this costs the taxpayer money. RSGS is intended to change this situation; we intend to demonstrate that we can upgrade and repair these valuable assets using robots.”

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The pre-launch vacuum test is important because it puts the robot through its paces across the range of temperatures it will face while on-orbit and under vacuum conditions similar to space. Northrop Grumman’s engineers tested all aspects of the payload including avionics, cameras, and lights, and demonstrated all operations, with each of its two robotic arms. This included launch lock deployments, calibrations, and tool changing. The test also verified SpaceWire communications, robotic compliance, and visual servo control modes. 

Steven Butcher, Technology Service Corporation space robotics and mechanisms engineer, performs an inspection of the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) payload after completing testing in the cryogenic thermal vacuum chamber at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Naval Center for Space Technology in Washington, D.C. Once on-orbit, the RSGS payload will inspect and service satellites in geosynchronous orbit. US NAVY/SARAH PETERSON

The NRL says that it worked for more than two decades to develop the technology enabling the RSGS program. Ideally, in the near future robotic satellite mechanics may extend the useful life of satellites by upgrading a variety of capabilities including new electronics, propulsion, and sensors capabilities. This could eventually lead to robots building large structures in orbit, such as the next great observatory, solar power stations, or other revolutionary new systems.

Launch is scheduled for 2026, after which the robot will undergo initial checkout and calibration with full operational servicing missions to follow. Then we’ll have to learn new acronyms to discuss its successor missions.