NRL Completes Development of Robotics Capable of Servicing Satellites, Enabling Resilience for the U.S. Space Infrastructure

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After completing testing, the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) payload resides in the cryogenic thermal vacuum chamber at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Naval Center for Space Technology in Washington, D.C. Oct. 8, 2024. Once on-orbit, the RSGS payload will inspect and service satellites in geosynchronous orbit. (U.S. Navy photo by Sarah Peterson)
After completing testing, the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) payload resides in the cryogenic thermal vacuum chamber at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Naval Center for Space Technology in Washington, D.C., Oct. 8, 2024. Once on-orbit, the RSGS payload will inspect and service satellites in geosynchronous orbit (U.S. Navy photo by Sarah Peterson).

December 17, 2024 | Originally published by U.S. Naval Research Laboratory on November 14, 2024

WASHINGTON – U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST), in partnership with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), successfully completed development of a spaceflight-qualified robotics suite capable of servicing satellites in orbit on October 8, 2024.

Under DARPA funding, NRL developed the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) Integrated Robotic Payload (IRP). This transformative new space capability was delivered to DARPA’s commercial partner, Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics, for integration with its spacecraft bus, the Mission Robotics Vehicle (MRV).

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