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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday December 08 2016, @07:53AM   Printer-friendly
from the and-please-check-the-oil-while-you're-there dept.

NASA will spend up to $127 million on the development of Restore-L, a robotic spacecraft intended to repair and refuel satellites in orbit. The contract could help Space Systems Loral launch a satellite servicing business:

A new contract from NASA to build the agency's Restore-L satellite servicing spacecraft could bring Space Systems Loral that much closer to launching its own satellite servicing business.

NASA awarded the contract to SSL Dec. 5, tasking the company with supplying a chassis, hardware and services for the mission. The Palo Alto, California-based satellite builder is responsible for supporting integration, test, launch and operations.

The purpose of Restore-L is to demonstrate the ability to refuel a satellite in orbit, including those not designed to have their fuel tanks opened in space. In-orbit refueling has the potential to extend the lives of otherwise healthy spacecraft that have exhausted their propellants.

SSL, with parent company MDA of Canada, has been actively entertaining the notion of launching a commercial in-orbit servicing business, one that would combine MDA's past experience from the almost-launched Space Infrastructure Services system in the early 2010s with SSL's knowledge of satellite manufacturing. Steve Oldham, the former president of MDA's Space Infrastructure Services division who currently leads strategic business development at SSL, said the company has interest from prospective customers in using an SSL-built servicer, and that the MDA board of directors expects to make a decision on relaunching such a business through SSL in the very near future.


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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 08 2016, @09:25AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 08 2016, @09:25AM (#438674)

    nigger nigger nigger nigger

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