June 30, 2012

Image Caption: On July 12, 2011, spacewalking astronauts Mike Fossum and Ron Garan successfully transferred the Robotic Refueling Mission module from the Atlantis shuttle cargo bay to a temporary platform on the International Space Station's Dextre robot. Credit: NASA

Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

NASA announced on Thursday that it completed another successful round of Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) operations on the International Space Station.

The mission, which is a joint effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), is on track for a refueling demonstration in late summer 2012.

RRM is an external station experiment designed to demonstrate the technologies, tools, and techniques needed to robotically repair and refuel satellites in orbit.

Results from the mission are helping to reduce the risks associated with satellite servicing and bolstering for future robotic servicing missions.

Now that these tasks are complete, our eyes are now set on the RRM refueling demonstration and the eventual benefits that it will bring to the aerospace industry, Benjamin Reed, deputy project manager of the Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, said.

Repair and refueling technologies similar to the ones demonstrated by RRM could be used to extend the lifespan of existing satellites, support the assembly of large structures in orbit and mitigate orbital debris.

Every year, functional satellites providing weather, communications, and other essential services are retired because they have reached the end of their fuel supply, said Reed. We envision a future where refueling services extend the lifespan of these satellites and increase capacity for users and consumers. RRM is designed to prove this robotic refueling technology, and we are looking forward to practicing this task in late summer 2012.

See the original post:

NASA's Space Robot Repairmen Makes More Strides