NASA and DARPA Are Joining Forces To Create Refueling Satellites
The creators of sci-fi technology, DAPRA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), is joining up with NASA to create a new generation of satellites with the sole purpose of fixing and maintaining satellites already circling the globe. These new satellites, labeled “service satellites in orbit” by The Washington Post, could make satellites that would’ve probably been allowed to fall into the atmosphere, to have a longer life.
Related: DARPA And Boeing Teaming Up For XS-1 Hypersonic Spaceplane
If you’ve been paying attention to SpaceX lately, satellites are a big industry. It’s not easy to fly new satellites into space, but those satellites are relied upon by everyone in the world.
Normally, if a satellite is sent into orbit, there’s nothing to do if there’s an error or malfunction that would turn that multi-billion dollar satellite being turned into space garbage.
DARPA, with NASA, hopes to develop these new repair robots that will refuel or fix problems the existing satellite has. Their first goal is to fly a robot satellite up to refuel Landsat 7, a Earth observation satellite launched in 1999, by 2021. That date isn’t too far away.
These new repair satellites will also be able to see if the satellites have been tampered with from foreign agents. It’s no secret that hacking a satellite is on the front of digital warfare.
Something like this will not be hidden from controversy. A robotic satellite that can attach to another satellite and do things to it? It can instantly be weaponized against foreign satellites. Hopefully that doesn’t happen.
(Via Popular Mechanics)
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