MEV gives kiss of life to in-orbit satellites
The reality of on-demand satellite servicing took a giant leap forward with the successful docking of Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) to a client satellite.
The first life-extension vehicle to enter the market, the MEV-1 spacecraft, rendezvoused and docked with its client satellite, Intelsat 901 (IS-901), in late February.
The MEV will now use its own thrusters and fuel supply to extend the satellite's lifespan by performing station-keeping manoeuvres in geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO) for the duration of the contract.
Joe Anderson, VP of business development and operations for Northrop Grumman subsidiary SpaceLogistics LLC, said the MEV was designed
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