3 ms·
Humans have done something like repairs on telecom satellites... If they got stuck in LEO before insertion to GEO. Also, ISS.
by Robotbeat 6y ago
Humans have done something like repairs on telecom satellites... If they got stuck in LEO before insertion to GEO. Also, ISS.
- walrus01 6y agoVery, very rarely and at ridiculous cost ($900m+ per launch) by space shuttle in the 1980s as publicity stunts, nothing more.
- WalterBright 6y agoThe space telescope got several repair and upgrade missions. Since the R+D cost of developing the telescope was already spent, it's hard to believe the incremental cost of building and launching another one would have cost more than a shuttle mission.
- walrus01 6y agoLEO is a very, very different thing in terms of exo-atmospheric delta v budget than achieving a circular Geostationary distance orbit with a manned craft.
- Cthulhu_ 6y agoWhich is why I really hope the new space telescope will work, since they can't realistically go out there to fix it.
- ufmace 6y agoAnd then having enough fuel leftover to return to Earth from Geostationary orbit with your manned craft.
- walrus01 6y agoAnd having a craft that can survive the heat load of re-entering the atmosphere from very high speed (as they demoed in an Orion test flight unmanned), if you're in Geostationary and thrust retrograde until your orbit becomes a highly elliptical one with a new perigee of around 100km, you're going to re-enter very hot and fast.
- Robotbeat 6y agoThe marginal costs for Shuttle missions were less than that, say about $250 million, and they often launched multiple satellites as well as performing other missions. It’s complicated.
- walrus01 6y agoThe total cost of the space shuttle program in 2011, adjusted for inflation was $196 billion. It launched a total of 135 times. This is about 1.45 billion per launch.