Northrop Grumman的两臂空间机器人MRV搭乘SpaceX火箭从佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角发射升空1，将执行商业卫星延寿任务。该机器人携带三个电动推进器1，每个约洗衣机大小1，计划在距地表22300英里的地球同步轨道上为燃料耗尽的通信卫星安装推进系统，为其延长数年工作寿命1。预计任务将在2027年中期完成1，卡车运营商包括卢森堡的SES和澳大利亚的Optus1。
MRV配备两条10英尺长的机械臂用于精确安装推进器1。这是本月第二次卫星拯救行动，此前Katalyst Space Technologies刚刚获得NASA 3000万美元合同用于提升Swift观测站1，该观测站位于距地表373英里的轨道上，造价接近4亿美元1。
Northrop Grumman此前曾在2019年和2020年执行过类似的卫星维修任务1。
Northrop Grumman's dual-armed robotic spacecraft, the MRV, lifted off aboard a SpaceX rocket on a commercial mission to refurbish aging communication satellites in orbit 1. The vehicle will travel to geostationary orbit, located 22,300 miles above Earth, where it will install electric propulsion units on fuel-depleted satellites operated by Luxembourg-based SES and Australia's Optus, extending their operational lifespans by several years 1.
The MRV carries three electric thrusters, each roughly the size of a washing machine, which will be deployed using its two 10-meter mechanical arms 1. The mission is expected to reach its destination by mid-2027 1. This represents the second major satellite servicing operation announced this month, following Katalyst Space Technologies' contract to restore NASA's Swift Observatory, which received a $30 million agreement to boost the spacecraft from its original altitude of 373 miles 1.
Northrop Grumman has previously conducted similar on-orbit satellite repair missions in 2019 and 2020, establishing experience in this emerging commercial service sector 1.
评论
还没有评论，欢迎留下第一条。