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Standardized grasping and refuelling on-orbit servicing for geo spacecraft [pdf]

32 points by Gravityloss 10y ago

gibsjose 10y ago
My group's mission at NASA is highly related: https://sspd.gsfc.nasa.gov/restore-l.html https://sspd.gsfc.nasa.gov/restore-l.html We're going for LEO reservicing. It's quite a challenging mission, especially since our client was never meant to be reserviced let alone rendezvoused with in the first place.
- skissane 10y ago
  Interesting project. A lot of the NASA publications keep the identity of the client very vague ("A satellite in LEO owned by the U.S. government" as one brochure puts it), which makes me suspect that it must be something "hush-hush" like NRO. Then I find a press release saying the client is Landsat 7 – https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-restore-l-mission-to-refuel-landsat-7-demonstrate-crosscutting-technologies https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-restore-l-mission-to-ref... – which doesn't sound that "hush-hush" at all.
  - gibsjose 10y ago
    There was a time when we weren't exactly sure which client we were going to refuel, but as far as we know, it will be Landsat-7. I believe NRL and possibly others are working on reservicing more "hush-hush" clients, but I can't say for certain for that very reason haha.
Gravityloss 10y ago
More at http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=42501.msg291469#new http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=42501.msg29...
- gus_massa 10y ago
  Just for context: Is this research group an official European Space Agency (ESA) group? How probable is that they will launch a test mission with this system? How probable is that the European missions will adopt this (or a minor variant)? ISS? NASA? Russia? China? Other?
Animats 10y ago
This could have been done long ago, but it didn't pay. The first orbital docking was over 50 years ago. The booster cost to get to geosync orbit was so high that refueling missions weren't worth it. This would be a good use of used Space-X boosters. If it succeeds, great, and if it fails, you've only lost a used booster and the refueling rig. It costs a second stage every time, though; you don't get that back.

32 points by Gravityloss 10y ago

My group's mission at NASA is highly related: https://sspd.gsfc.nasa.gov/restore-l.html https://sspd.gsfc.nasa.gov/restore-l.html We're going for LEO reservicing. It's quite a challenging mission, especially since our client was never meant to be reserviced let alone rendezvoused with in the first place.

skissane 10y ago
Interesting project. A lot of the NASA publications keep the identity of the client very vague ("A satellite in LEO owned by the U.S. government" as one brochure puts it), which makes me suspect that it must be something "hush-hush" like NRO. Then I find a press release saying the client is Landsat 7 – https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-restore-l-mission-to-refuel-landsat-7-demonstrate-crosscutting-technologies https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-restore-l-mission-to-ref... – which doesn't sound that "hush-hush" at all.
- gibsjose 10y ago
  There was a time when we weren't exactly sure which client we were going to refuel, but as far as we know, it will be Landsat-7. I believe NRL and possibly others are working on reservicing more "hush-hush" clients, but I can't say for certain for that very reason haha.

Gravityloss 10y ago

More at http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=42501.msg291469#new http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=42501.msg29...

gus_massa 10y ago
Just for context: Is this research group an official European Space Agency (ESA) group? How probable is that they will launch a test mission with this system? How probable is that the European missions will adopt this (or a minor variant)? ISS? NASA? Russia? China? Other?

Animats 10y ago

This could have been done long ago, but it didn't pay. The first orbital docking was over 50 years ago. The booster cost to get to geosync orbit was so high that refueling missions weren't worth it. This would be a good use of used Space-X boosters. If it succeeds, great, and if it fails, you've only lost a used booster and the refueling rig. It costs a second stage every time, though; you don't get that back.