DARPA and NASA form a partnership to create new satellites
DARPA has a reputation for taking on seemingly impossible, ambitious projects that some would describe as moonshots and others might describe as ludicrous. However, the agency has teamed up with NASA to build robotic satellites that can refuel and repair friendly satellites.
From article, (DARPA has a reputation for taking on seemingly impossible, ambitious projects that some would describe as moonshots and others might describe as ludicrous. However, the agency has teamed up with NASA to build robotic satellites that can refuel and repair friendly satellites.
These robotic satellites, known as “service stations in orbit,” would not only refuel satellites, they could drastically improve their longevity and lifespan. The robots could fix minor maintenance issues, keeping up with current orbiters as they age and sustain damage. This is an ability that we don’t have yet, so faulty billion-dollar satellites not only cause issues, but have to be replaced, which is both difficult and extremely expensive.
The service stations will also make a significant dent in space pollution. Not only is allowing broken satellites to continue to orbit while we replace them a billion-dollar pain, it contributes to the growing problem of space pollution.
In 2015, there were about 25,000 human-made objects larger than a human fist and roughly half a million larger than a dime orbiting Earth. Putting objects into orbit and then replacing them (without recalling the old ones) when they get damaged or need updating is a practice that’s not only astronomically costly, it also pollutes the orbit around our planet.
It makes the most sense to repair, maintain, and update satellites and other orbiting objects, but it hasn’t been possible. Hopefully, these service stations will launch and help to keep our orbit clear of debris and threatening activity, though there are no current plans to use them in an offensive role.)
No comments:
Post a Comment