SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launches Northrop Grumman's two-armed robot on mission to extend satellite lifespans

SpaceX, on Tuesday, completed a crucial mission that will extend the life of satellites in geostationary orbit by several years. Its Falcon 9 rocket lifted off with Northrop Grumman’s MRV-MEP mission at 5:15 p.m. EDT from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking the second launch of the day for SpaceX after a Starlink mission launch. Nearly an hour after launch, SpaceX confirmed the deployment of all payloads into their intended orbit.

MRV-MEP stands for Mission Robotic Vehicle and Mission Extension Pods, spacecraft that will be used for satellite life extension, inspection, repair, upgrades, disposal, and assembly purposes.

The first stage booster supporting this mission flew on its 32nd flight, having previously supported CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and 27 Starlink missions. Since the booster required additional performance to place the payload in a geosynchronous transfer orbit, it was not recovered in this mission. “During its 32 missions, this single first stage has launched critical supplies and research to the International Space Station, supported 27 Starlink missions to help connect people around the world with high-speed, low-latency internet, and more since its first launch in December 2021,” SpaceX posted on X.

What is the MRV-MEP mission about? 

This mission includes one MRV and three MEPs that will catch old satellites and perform the necessary duties. Northrop describes the MRV as an on-orbit servicing vehicle to meet the support and maintenance needs of satellites. Here’s how the mission will work. The MRV, which is equipped with two 10-foot-long robotic arms, will grab an MEP, approach a client satellite, and attach the MEP onto it. These MEPs are essentially ‘fuel jetpacks’ that will offer propulsion to old satellites to prevent them from falling back to Earth, ensuring they continue working for many more years.

According to Northrop’s factsheet, the MEP will provide electric propulsion to satellites running low on fuel and could extend a typical 2,000 kg satellite’s life by up to eight years. Unlike the older MEVs, which were removable and relocatable, meaning one vehicle could be used to boost several satellites, an MEP is installed permanently on a single client. Notably, the MRV itself includes a Northrop Grumman-developed Passive Refueling Module (PRM), which enables it to be refueled in orbit.

The mission will be operated by SpaceLogistics, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. It had previously led two test missions in 2019 and 2020 with the Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV), which did not employ MEPs. Both missions had a single servicing craft that successfully docked with target satellites to carry out life-extension duties.

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