March 7, 2014

Image Caption: Located at the Kennedy Space Center but commanded from Goddard, the RROxiTT industrial robot mimicked how future space robots could transfer oxidizer to a satellite valve. Credit: NASA

Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

NASA is using the International Space Station (ISS) as a test bed for technologies that could refuel and repair existing satellites in orbit.

The space agency said it is preparing another round of demonstrations on the space station to test the new technology. This testing will focus on real-time relative navigation, spacecraft inspection and the replenishment of cryogens in satellites that were not initially built for in-flight service.

The experiments are part of another initiative to equip robots and humans with tools and capabilities needed for spacecraft maintenance and repair, which could be useful for extended manned missions to places like an asteroid or Mars.

The Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office (SSCO) has been ongoing at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland since 2009.

With more than 400 satellites in space that could benefit from robotic servicing, we thought a refueling test was the best place to start, Frank Cepollina, veteran leader of the five servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, and associate director of SSCO, said in a statement. We wanted to demonstrate technologies that build life-extension capabilities and jumpstart a discussion about new ways to manage assets in space. We never planned to stop there, however. It was only the first step.

SSCOs Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) and follow-up tests have demonstrated that remotely controlled robots could work through the caps and wires on a satellite fuel valve and transfer fluid into existent satellites.

NASA conducted a demonstration called the Remote Robotic Oxidizer Transfer Test (RROxiTT) last month where a robot remotely controlled from Goddard successfully transferred corrosive satellite oxidizer into a mock satellite tank located at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Now that this test is over, NASA said SSCO is broadening its portfolio to include xenon transfer technology.

Read more here:

NASA Looks To Robots To Refuel And Repair Satellites In Orbit