World's Most Advanced Servicing Robot Satellite Launched for Geostationary Orbit

Northrop Grumman launched the Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) satellite robot with two flexible manipulators aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. The spacecraft is designed to service satellites in geostationary orbit (36,000 km above the equator). Along with the MRV, three mini-modules called Mission Extension Pods (MEP) were deployed, each being an independent spacecraft. The transition from the initial elliptical orbit to a circular one will take about a year. After that, the MRV will be able to perform operations for servicing and extending the lifespan of satellites. To date, it is the most complex known satellite robot for servicing spacecraft. Previously, China launched the SJ-21 and SJ-25 spacecraft to demonstrate servicing technologies: SJ-21 moved a defunct navigation satellite to a graveyard orbit, and SJ-25 performed the first refueling in geostationary orbit.