Northrop Grumman claims milestone in satellite docking
Image of Intelsat 10-02 taken by the IR camera on MEV-2. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)
Successful docking paves the way for future on-orbit and life-extension services through robotics, says Northrop Grumman.
Northrop Grumman and its wholly-owned subsidiary SpaceLogistics LLC on 12 April completed the docking of the Mission Extension Vehicle-2 (MEV-2) to the Intelsat 10-02 satellite.
This was the first time that docking was accomplished in geosynchronous (GEO) orbit and the second time that Northrop Grumman docked two commercial spacecraft in orbit, after MEV-1 with the Intelsat 901 satellite in February 2020.
Unlike MEV-1, which docked above GEO orbit before moving IS-901 back into service, MEV-2 docked with IS-10-02 directly in its operational GEO orbital location.
MEV-2 will provide five years of service to IS-10-02 before undocking and moving on to provide services for a new mission.
Northrop Grumman is also developing Mission Extension Pods to provide critical life extension services to ageing satellites, with a target launch date of 2024.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Airbus launches final CSO observation satellite for French Armed Forces]()
Airbus launches final CSO observation satellite for French Armed Forces
Airbus was awarded the Composante Spatiale Optique (CSO) contract at the end of 2010. This included an option for a third satellite, which was activated after Germany joined the programme in 2015.
-
![Intelligence advantage: How real-time GEOINT is reshaping military decision-making (Studio)]()
Intelligence advantage: How real-time GEOINT is reshaping military decision-making (Studio)
In today’s contested operational environment, adaptability is key. The new Geospatial-Intelligence as a Service (GEO IaaS) solution from Fujitsu and MAIAR empowers militaries by enabling intelligence advantage, combining advanced technology with human expertise to deliver actionable insights.
-
![Israel sets up new department to boost development of AI and autonomy]()
Israel sets up new department to boost development of AI and autonomy
Israel will continue to develop autonomy for its weapons and platforms as it brings together defence personnel, academia and industry.
-
![Clavister contracted to supply cyber protection for CV90s]()
Clavister contracted to supply cyber protection for CV90s
Clavister CyberArmour, an integrated defence cybersecurity system, will be used on BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90 platform in deployments with a Scandinavian country, as well as in an eastern European nation.
-
![Lockheed Martin completes tactical satellite demonstration and prepares for launch]()
Lockheed Martin completes tactical satellite demonstration and prepares for launch
The tactical satellite (TacSat) is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system and will participate in exercises in 2025.
-
![AUSA 2024: General Micro Systems adds four new products to the X9 Spider family]()
AUSA 2024: General Micro Systems adds four new products to the X9 Spider family
The airborne three-domain, the two ground-based and the ¼ ATR OpenVPX-based cross-domain systems were engineered to provide real-time security across multi-domain operations.
