Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

The Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) payload integrated with the Northrop Grumman Mission Robotics Vehicle (MRV) spacecraft bus sits outside the cryogenic thermal vacuum chamber after completing testing at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL) Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST) in Washington, D.C.
Image credit: NRL/Jonathan Steffen-Arnold

Declared as a new program milestone, the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) payload is now integrated with the Northrop Grumman Mission Robotics Vehicle (MRV) spacecraft bus.

This robotic spacecraft is designed to extend and upgrade satellites already in orbit.

The RSGS program is the result of over 20 years of research and development at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), aimed at creating robotic systems that can repair and improve satellites in geosynchronous orbit, roughly 22,000 miles above Earth.

Final space-readiness testing on RSGS, a robotic payload designed to extend and upgrade satellites already in orbit.
Image credit: NRL/Sarah Peterson

On September 5, at NRL, a critical round of space-readiness testing was achieved.

That testing is known as thermal vacuum (TVAC) to assure the spacecraft bus can withstand the brutal conditions of cold, heat and vacuum conditions of space.

Two robotic arms

As a public private partnership between the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics, the NRL-developed robotic servicing payload is designed to enable close inspections, orbital adjustments, hardware upgrades, and even in-orbit repairs.

Last June, Northrop Grumman integrated the robotics payload, developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), onto its Mission Robotics Vehicle at the company’s Dulles, Virginia, facility.
Image credit: Northrop Grumman

RSGS is outfitted with two robotic arms, equipped with lights, cameras, and tool changers, enabling capture, inspection, and perform upgrade tasks. The initiative promises longer lifespans, lower costs, and new opportunities for innovation in space infrastructure.

What next?

Next up for the spacecraft is to undergo final integrated systems testing this Fall at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Dulles, Virginia, prior to shipment to the launch site.

No launch date has been announced.

Once in orbit, the MRV and payload will enter checkout before beginning proximity operations, rendezvous, and client servicing demonstrations.

Image credit: DARPA