Two commercial satellites create history by docking mid-space to extend one's life

Two commercial satellites created history with a successful manoeuvre and dock with each other to increase the service life of one of them. Northrop Grumman’s satellite servicing spacecraft-  Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-1) - docked with it the target satellite Intelsat-901 above the Geostationary orbit in a bid to keep the nearly 19-year-old satellite working for five additional years.

The plan to extend the lifetime of the Intelsat communications satellite has been successful with the groundbreaking change in satellite operation since the Intelsat 901 was not pre-designed with docking in mind. The successful manoeuvre ensured that the Mission Extension Vehicle can also move defunct satellites to a safer orbit.

Space Logistics, a subsidiary of the aerospace giant Northrop Grumman, was given the responsibility of executing the mission. Addressing a press conference, Space Logistics vice president Joe Anderson said that it is the first time in history that docking has ever been performed with a satellite which was not pre-designed in that way. 

“This is the first time two commercial satellites have ever docked," he further added.

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The Intelsat 901, which has spent 19 years in the orbit, is low on fuel and the ground crew would have lost the ability to actively control the satellite. Intelsat sought help from Northrop Grumman to extend the life of the satellite and the latter launched MEV-1 in October 2019. The satellite took three months to carry out a rendezvous with the Intelsat 901 in the graveyard orbit, the orbit where defunct satellites are abandoned.

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'Space tow-truck'

MEV-1, which basically works as a tow-truck in space, will take over the manoeuvering and navigation work from the Intelsat 901 and take it out from the graveyard orbit so that it can operate for five more years. After five years, the satellite servicing spacecraft will put the Intelsat 901 back in the graveyard orbit where it will die a slow death.

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(With ANI inputs)