"Can I get a boost?" has officially made it to space.
The first commercial satellite servicing mission has been declared a success after the Intelsat 901 (IS-901) communications satellite returned to work providing internet connectivity.
The satellite, which launched in 2001, had been running low on fuel needed to maintain its correct orbit. But rather than launch a replacement internet satellite, its owner, Intelsat, hired Northrop Grumman to conduct a first-of-its-kind mission. That project sent another satellite, called Mission Extension Vehicle 1 (MEV-1) to connect to IS-901 in February and take responsibility for keeping the internet satellite in the proper location to do its job.
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"We see increased demand for our connectivity services around the world, and preserving our customers' experience using innovative technology such as MEV-1 is helping us meet that need," Intelsat Chief Services Officer Mike DeMarco said in a Northrop Grumman statement released today (April 17).
That statement confirmed that MEV-1 has successfully latched onto IS-901 and maneuvered it back to its proper orbit, and that the internet satellite is again providing services to Intelsat customers.
MEV-1 will now spend five years attached to IS-901 to extend that satellite's tenure. After the contract ends, MEV-1 will steer the old satellite to a safe orbit, detach, and join up with a different satellite to provide the same services. MEV-1 should be able to partner with satellites for a total of 15 years, according to a previous Northrop Grumman statement.
Northrop Grumman is planning to launch a second mission-extension vehicle later this year, which will also aid an Intelsat satellite.
"This historic event, highlighted by the first in-orbit rendezvous and docking of two commercial satellites and the subsequent repositioning of the two-spacecraft stack, demonstrates the business value that MEV offers to customers," Tom Wilson, vice president of Northrop Grumman Space Systems, said in a statement. "Now that MEV-1 has successfully delivered on its mission to place the Intelsat 901 satellite back into operational service, we will continue to pioneer the future of on-orbit servicing through our multi-year technology roadmap leading to additional services such as inspection, assembly and repair."
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Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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