Robot Jetpacks Extend Satellite Lifespan | Raleigh News

A robotic arms mission just launched to rescue aging satellites by attaching jetpacks that extend their lifespans—saving companies millions. This isn’t the first time: earlier this month, another spacecraft helped NASA’s Swift Observatory avoid a crash. The new robot, MRV, will spend a year reaching orbit 22,000 miles up, then use its arms to snap on washing-machine-sized thrusters to keep satellites flying. Built by Northrop Grumman, MRV is more versatile than past models. Meanwhile, Katalyst’s Link is still in development, racing to fix bugs before it can help Swift—NASA’s paying them $30 million to keep the observatory alive and studying cosmic events. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/52c43afc2e27cb31