Northrop Grumman-owned SpaceLogistics has agreed to launch the first Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) spacecraft in 2024. He will receive a robotic arm to install the Mission Extension Pod propulsion modules on satellites that have used up their fuel reserves.
The first customer for MRV was Optus, the largest satellite operator in Australia. The new service vehicle will be launched in 2024 using a launch vehicle from SpaceX.
MRV was built on the basis of technologies that had previously been used on other devices of a similar purpose. There are currently two Mission Extension Vehicles (MEV) in orbit serving two Intelsat satellites.
The robotic arm for the MRV was developed by specialists from the US Navy Research Laboratory with financial support from the Office of Advanced Research Projects of the US Department of Defense (DARPA). In 2020, DARPA signed an agreement with Northrop Grumman allowing the company to use a robotic payload for MRV.
Recall that last year it became known that Roscosmos had patented a new method of servicing satellites in orbit.
