Researchers with the U.S. military are contemplating the idea of re-starting a program that would lead to the development of a space robot for geosynchronous Earth orbit. The space robot would be designed to fix, maintain and improve satellites that are in difficult to reach and high altitude regions.
U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency officials carried out an industry survey to see which companies would want to relaunch the Robotics Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program. The program was first launched in 2016 and was designed to develop a dexterous robot that was able to carry out various functions 22,000 miles above the Earths’ surface where satellites work.
DARPA has worked alongside Maxar Technologies in Colorado, but they recently told DARPA officials that money constraints are forcing them to back out. This has resulted in DARPA restructuring the program to design the RSGS spacecraft bus and include the robot design. It would also help in offering mission operations staff and center during the duration of the mission.
According to DARPA officials, there’s been a lot of progress made on the robotic payload for both satellite upgrade and repairs such as the flight versions of robotic manipulator arms. The robotic payload design is thought to be an array of possible spacecraft buses. The desire is to develop a robotic servicer that a commercial company will operate, ensuring a cost-effective and highly-reliable GEO satellite serving presence.
DARPA experts would like to have a U.S. space industry team to develop and take care of a robotic servicing vehicle close to the GEO. The vehicle will incorporate the government-provided payload, offer communications with the ground and ensure long-term vehicle operations.
DARPA officials said the key is to service both government and commercial GEO satellites, making money while doing so. They said damaged, or no-longer functioning spacecraft remain in the GEO and drift in space. However, a robotic GEO servicing device could inspect the spacecraft, correct issues such as antenna malfunctions and solar array, repair faulty propulsion systems and more.
DARPA would like to launch the servicer into space in spring 2021.
The RSGS robotic payload includes a pair of two-meter, seven-degree of freedom robotic, tool-changing arms, control systems such as software, electronics and more, tools, high-resolution imaging sensors, etc.