{"id":4002,"date":"2026-07-23T04:40:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T04:40:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4002"},"modified":"2026-07-23T04:40:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T04:40:47","slug":"northrop-grumman-launches-private-robot-mission-to-strap-jetpacks-on-aging-satellites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4002","title":{"rendered":"Northrop Grumman launches private robot mission to strap jetpacks on aging satellites"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>It\u2019s the second satellite-saving mission to launch this month, all part of a growing, money-saving effort to keep spacecraft running as long as possible.\u00a0Another company\u2019s three-armed spacecraft\u00a0rocketed into orbit on July 3 to boost\u00a0NASA\u2019s Swift Observatory\u00a0so it doesn\u2019t crash to Earth this fall.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4000\">Anthropic and SpaceX just handed Google the biggest profit quarter in company history\u2014on paper<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Launched by SpaceX, Northrop Grumman\u2019s mission robotic vehicle \u2014 dubbed MRV \u2014 and its jetpacks will spend the next year angling into the proper orbit 22,300 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth. Hundreds of satellites orbit at this so-called geosynchronous orbit, where they match the speed of Earth\u2019s rotation and keep to the same part of the sky for continuous coverage.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Once in place by mid-2027, the minivan-sized spacecraft will use its 10-foot (9-meter) arms to attach a jetpack to an aging communication satellite. Then it will zip off to two more satellites in need.<\/p>\n<p>For its debut flight, the spacecraft was accompanied by three electric-propelled jetpacks that peeled away separately following liftoff. Like the MRV, the jetpacks will use their own xenon gas thrusters to get to the desired orbit. Once in place, the jetpacks will wait for the robot to grab them, one at a time, and plug them into their designated satellites.<\/p>\n<p>Each jetpack \u2014 the size of a washing machine \u2014 will provide the necessary oomph for an out-of-gas satellite to keep operating for several more years instead of retiring. If it works, it will be a boon for satellite operators SES of Luxembourg and Optus of Australia, saving them millions of dollars in replacement costs.<\/p>\n<p>This is Northrop Grumman\u2019s latest foray into the satellite-servicing business. In 2019 and again in 2020, the company launched a pair of spacecraft that latched onto faltering communication satellites and steered them, providing extra years of life.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3998\">Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold\u2014and that it doesn\u2019t matter for the dollar<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Northrop Grumman designed its new robotic helpers to be even more resourceful. The company envisions future versions repairing and relocating live satellites, and even latching onto dead ones for removal from highly trafficked orbits. The company is collaborating with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.<\/p>\n<p>Katalyst Space Technologies, meanwhile, continues to test its Link satellite helper in orbit before rushing to the Swift Observatory\u2019s rescue. Flight controllers had to overcome initial communication and pointing problems with Link, beaming up software patches.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Launched in 2004, NASA\u2019s Swift telescope has been sinking faster than usual because of all the recent solar activity. A boost by Link in the coming weeks could give the nearly $400 million gamma ray observatory many more years of studying some of the biggest explosions in the universe.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>NASA is paying Kataylst $30 million to raise Swift to its original 373-mile (600-kilometer) altitude. Northrop Grumman provided Link\u2019s ride to orbit, using a plane-launched Pegasus rocket.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3996\">Fired an hour after being sworn in, former Seattle U.S. attorney sues Trump administration<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A two-armed space robot blasted off to attach life-extending jetpacks to aging satellites and extend their lifespan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[161],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spacex"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Northrop Grumman launches private robot mission to strap jetpacks on aging satellites - Cross Country Moving Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4002\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Northrop Grumman launches private robot mission to strap jetpacks on aging satellites - 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