Inside the High-Tech Effort to Keep Satellites Alive
Northrop Grumman has launched a robotic mission to attach fuel-extending jetpacks to aging satellites in orbit. This initiative aims to prolong the lifespan of space infrastructure and reduce the costs associated with launching replacement satellites.
A two-armed space robot blasted off on a private salvage operation Tuesday to slap life-extending jetpacks on old satellites running low on fuel thousands of miles up. It's the second satellite-saving mission to launch this month: Another company's three-armed spacecraft rocketed into orbit on July 3 to boost NASA's Swift Observatory so it doesn't crash to Earth this fall. As the AP reports, it's all part of a growing, money-saving effort to keep spacecraft running as long as possible.
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