NASA robot to repair and refuel satellites

NASA in cooperation with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has developed and launched into space a robot that will take on the difficult job of repairing and refueling military and civilian satellites. Orbital Express is a two spacecraft system that for the next three months will be used to demonstrate the feasibility of having robots service orbiting satellites.

The repair robot is named ASTRO (Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations) while the satellite used as a dummy for repair and refueling mission is called NextSat. ASTRO is equipped with a small robotic arm that it can use to service NextSat. The two vehicles are worth a combined $300 million U.S. dollars.

NASA hopes to use these robots to extent the lifetime of satellites which now are only good for one use. When the satellite runs out of fuel, it is destroyed using a controlled reentry. NASA currently uses the space shuttle to repair satellites if necessary. The shuttle usually captures a satellite using its robotic arm and brings the vehicle in its bay where astronauts perform the repairs. Since the shuttle will be retired in a few years and a replacement vehicle is still in the works, it makes sense that NASA is seeking an alternative for servicing satellites.

It is unfortunate that Orbital Express will not be available for deployment for another 10 years or so. The Hubble Space Telescope is in need of servicing. In the past a shuttle mission could be dedicated to the task but since the unfortunate destruction of Columbia this is no longer feasible; except for one last mission in late 2008. Researchers had proposed developing a robot to repair Hubble but unfortunately none was able to develop one in time to save the telescope.