DARPA’s Twin-Armed Robot Heads to Geosynchronous Orbit to Service Satellites in Flight
Featured image: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral carrying Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle. Credit: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now
The most capable robotic satellite servicer ever built is now on its way to geosynchronous orbit. Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on July 21, carrying a pair of dexterous robotic arms developed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The spacecraft, formally designated MRV-1, is the centerpiece of the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program. Its mission is a decade-long campaign to inspect, repair, refuel, relocate, and upgrade satellites that were never designed to be touched after launch.
“These are things that tend to be really hard,” Ars Technica noted in its coverage of the mission, quoting engineers who described the challenge of building a robotic system capable of operating in the harsh environment of geosynchronous orbit, 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) above Earth.
A Full Toolkit for In-Orbit Surgery
The MRV carries three Mission Extension Pods (MEPs) supplied by Northrop Grumman, essentially plug-and-play jetpacks that attach to client satellites. Each MEP carries fresh maneuvering fuel and is designed to provide up to eight additional years of operational life for a spacecraft whose propulsion system has been depleted. The first two clients signed on for the service are Optus, an Australian telecommunications operator, and SES of Luxembourg.
Beyond life extension, the twin robotic arms give the MRV a far broader repertoire than any previous in-orbit servicer. The vehicle can perform close-in inspection of satellites showing signs of anomaly, relocate spacecraft to different orbital slots, conduct mechanical repairs, and install upgrades on satellites that were launched without any provision for future servicing.
The RSGS payload brings together an unusual partnership of defense, civilian, and commercial interests. DARPA provided the funding and program management for the robotic arm assembly. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory designed and built the arms and their tool attachments. Northrop Grumman integrated the payload onto its MRV platform, which it operates as America’s first multi-mission robotic in-orbit servicer. NASA contributed technical expertise through its own in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing programs.
A Yearlong Cruise to the Job Site
Following its launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:15 p.m. EDT (2115 UTC), the MRV will spend roughly a year traveling to geosynchronous orbit. The long cruise allows the spacecraft to check out its systems gradually before beginning operations.
Once on station, the vehicle will face a set of challenges that ground tests can only approximate. Servicing a satellite in geosynchronous orbit requires the robotic arms to manipulate objects in microgravity while coping with extreme temperature swings between sunlight and shadow. The arms must be precise enough to handle delicate fuel fittings and electrical connectors on spacecraft designed decades before anyone imagined they would be touched again.
The economic case for in-orbit servicing has grown stronger as satellite construction costs have risen. Replacing a large geosynchronous communications satellite can cost hundreds of millions of dollars including launch. Extending its life by six to eight years with a bolt-on propulsion pod, or repairing a single jammed solar array, can deliver comparable value at a fraction of the price. The MRV’s ability to perform both tasks from a single platform makes it the most versatile tool in a category that, until recently, barely existed.