Around 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) above Earth, several geosynchronous (GEO) satellites of varying shapes and purposes can be found. They help track weather patterns, perform research, capture images in space, and, of course, enable worldwide communication.
Satellites, however, can be like your coffeemaker too: they can become damaged over time especially if their payloads are already obsolete. The problem is, unlike your coffeemaker’s technician who can arrive within 15 minutes, satellite problems are much harder to troubleshoot. In the end, even some of the well-built ones don’t last for long.
To resolve the problem, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced the development of "satellite lifeline," which is a toolkit that is capable of servicing hopefully all the needs of a satellite while reducing costs and effort and extending the value of these million-dollar investments.
The modular toolkit, which DARPA hopes to launch within the next five years under its program called Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS), will be connected to a "privately developed spacecraft" or a robot servicing vehicle (RSV) and will contain both hardware, such as a robotic arm called FREND, and software so satellites can be serviced at the beck and call of their owners.
The RSV can also get high-resolution images for inspection, assist in moving the location of certain satellites, install new and other payloads, upgrade and maintain existing payloads, and repair malfunctions common among satellites like deployment of antennas.
In fact, it can be used to help design new spacecraft operations and design, "which could dramatically lower construction and deployment costs while extending satellite utility, resilience and reliability," said Gordon Roesler, the program’s manager.
The program also hopes “to establish best practices and voluntary standards for space servicing operations,” said Brad Tousley, who works as the Tactical Technology Office director of the program.
DARPA, which is also working on a unique quadcopter drone, is planning to collaborate with a commercial entity through a public-private partnership where the partner will provide the satellite which DARPA’s robotic technology can attach itself to as well as operations staff and center that will monitor the progress of both the satellite and the technology once they’re already in space.
To learn more about the new project of DARPA, see the video below:
Photo: NOAA Photo Library | Flickr
