Historic mooring between two satellites at an altitude of 36,000 km!

A new era opens. The MEV-1 space tug and the Intelsat 901 satellite are one. In an unprecedented maneuver in geostationary orbit, Northrop Grumman's MEV-1 docked with the telecommunications satellite to take control and extend its lifespan by five years.

Northrop Grumman's MEV-1 space tug, launched in October 2019, has docked with the Intelsat 901 communications satellite to demonstrate that it is possible to extend the duration of the satellites and thus maximize their operating time and the income generated. A historic maneuver that opens a new era in the commercial exploitation of satellites.

Intelsat 901 is not a broken satellite. It was just close to running out of fuel. A situation that had pushed Intelsat decided to tow its satellite. In anticipation of this docking, the orbit of the satellite was increased by almost 300 kilometers in December 2019, from where the docking between the satellite and the space tug MEV-1 took place. The maneuver was carried out on Tuesday 25 February, at 7.15 am GMT. The tug has stowed at the tuyere of climax motor of the satellite and took over from the propulsion, controlling the attitude of the satellite. He will carry out all the maneuvers orbital necessary for the correct pointing and positioning of Intelsat 901.

A new life for Intelsat 901

After customary checks, to ensure that the docking and takeover of the satellite have taken place, the MEV-1 will move to position 27.5 degrees West to return Intelsat 901 to active service. here the end of March. Now begins a five-year period during which the MEV-1 will provide its life extension services before bringing it back on thecemetery orbit of the geostationary satellites where it will be decommissioned permanently.

Following this first demonstration mission, the space tug will repair another satellite, and certainly a third if no technical problem interferes with its operation. As Northrop Grumman points out, MEV-1 has been designed for a lifespan of at least 15 years and several moorings. This demonstration space tug foreshadows the next generation capable of other services such as tilting change, high definition inspection as well as the use of arms robotic to repair, assemble and change parts.

A second MEV will be launched by a Ariane 5 later this year for a towing mission from another Intelsat telecommunications satellite.

The MEV mission is on its way to troubleshoot a satellite. A first

Article by Rémy Decourt published on 10/10/2019

International Launch Services successfully launched a telecommunications satellite and the MEV (Mission Extension Vehicle) space tug. This unique vehicle is to dock with Intelsat 901, a telecommunications satellite in orbit since 2001. The objective of this first MEV is to take control of the satellite and demonstrate that it is possible to increase its lifespan by several years.

Among the various in-orbit service projects, the MEP-1 space tug from Northrop Grumman is the first to start its operational service. It was launched yesterday from the cosmodrome of Baikonur, in Kazakhstan, using a launcher Russian Proton M / Breeze M on behalf ofInternational Launch Services (THEY). On board the launcher was also the Eutelsat 5 West communications satellite.

MEV-1 to join the Intelsat 901 communications satellite, on geostationary orbit (36,000 kilometers) since June 2001. It is now at the end of its life in the sense that its reserves in propellants are almost exhausted. The little that remains will be used to send it to a cemetery orbit, 300 kilometers higher. It is a place where end-of-life satellites are no longer a risk for those active on thegeostationary orbit.

The meeting with the MEV and Intelsat 901 is scheduled for the month of January 2020. It will take place on this cemetery orbit to avoid damaging the active satellites in the event that a collision between the two satellites derails them and generates space debris. The tug will dock with the satellite at the nozzle of the climax motor. Once stowed, the MEV will take over from the satellite's propulsion and attitude control to provide it for several years.

Before and after mooring, several maneuverability and stop and go are planned. As soon as the Northrop Grumman and Intelsat ground controllers are satisfied that the MEV has taken control of Intelsat 901, the telecommunications satellite will descend to geostationary orbit and will again be able to provide its telecommunications services. The MEV will remain docked at Intelsat 901 throughout this extension of the mission and will make the necessary course corrections.

A first at more than 36,000 kilometers!

This docking will be the first ever made between two satellites in geostationary orbit. The maneuver is not trivial. Beyond the technical performance of docking with a satellite that was not designed for that, then taking control of its GNC functions (Guidance, Navigation and Control), the MEV must demonstrate that it is possible to extend the life of the satellites so as to maximize the duration of their operation and generate new revenues.

The transaction must offer Intelsat 901 an additional life saving of at least two years, but five years are targeted. A second MEV mission (MEV-2) has already been announced. It is scheduled for 2023and concerns another Intelsat satellite, also at the end of its life, whose identity has not yet been specified. And it is not known whether the rendezvous and the docking will be at the location where the satellite is currently located, and therefore without interruption of satellite services.

Refuel a satellite in flight, it will soon be possible with MEV

Rémy Decourt article published on 04/25/2016

Satellites in geostationary orbit have a lifespan often linked to the exhaustion of propellants, which forces them to be released in a cemetery orbit while they are still in perfect working order. A funny situation that Orbital ATK wishes to correct by developing an autonomous module, the MEV, which would, in a way, supply the satellites. A first contract has been signed with Intelsat to extend the life of one of its telecommunications satellites by five years.

Falling prices for access to space is not the only issue to strengthen its commercial attractiveness. Reducing the costs of using orbiting satellites is also a concern for operators. Yes SpaceX and Arianespace are betting on achieving this within a few years, one with its future range of reusable launchers (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy), the other with the Ariane 6 family of launchers, Orbital ATK wants to believe that it is possible to extend the life of a satellite and therefore lower its operating costs.

Given the high standards and criteria imposed on the construction satellites, those in geostationary orbit have a lifespan often linked to the exhaustion of propellants, which forces their owner to release them in a cemetery orbit when they are in perfect working order. In other words, if a satellite is not technologically outdated, an operator has every interest in extending its life rather than funding the construction and launch of a new one to replace it. Hence the old idea of ​​docking a satellite to increase the lifespan of those at the end of their lifespan, and to replace certain functions.

For this service in orbit, Orbital ATK relaunches the ATK and US Space project LLC named MEV (Mission Extension Vehicle) and signs a five-year partnership with the operator Intelsat, which provides that after a demonstration phase, the latter will be the first customer of an MEV mission (MEV-1). The agreement will take place in two phases. A first Review with a lashing to an out-of-service satellite desorbed in the cemetery orbit and then lashing out at the end of the Review to descend to the geostationary orbit and conduct the second phase by docking with a satellite that is still operational and extending its duration. 5 year life. MEV-1 is expected to be launched in 2018.

New orbital services

The module will dock with the orbiting satellite at the pinnacle engine nozzle. The meeting and mooring will be done without interruption of services, a condition sine qua non for a telecommunications satellite. Once stowed, the MEV will take over the propulsion and attitude control of the satellite to ensure it for several years.

This module will be built around a Geostar platform for a lifespan of 15 years during which it will be able to dock and undock with several satellites. When its propellant reserves are practically exhausted, the satellite will be ejected into a cemetery orbit which will not hinder its replacements.

“Given the size of our satellite fleet, a technology that improves our flexibility in orbit by allowing us to be more reagent to our customers, such as extending the lifespan of a healthy satellite so that it can be deployed for a last-minute occasion to another orbital position or maintaining continuity of service before 'arrival of new technology' says Stephen Spengler, Managing Director of Intelsat.

With this first contract, Orbital ATK wishes to open new markets related to servicing in orbit. Ultimately, the Dulles firm wishes to acquire a fleet of MEV capable of responding to a wide range of orbital services to satellites such as repair and assembly.

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