Restore-L Servicing: SSL Wins Contract To Refuel NASA Satellites, Spacecrafts
NASA has recently named which organization it would trust for the servicing and maintenance of machines, spacecrafts in the universe. The space agency has named the Space System Loral (SSL) to be the exclusive space service crew to take over, with help from the Restore-L satellite.
According to the SpaceNews, the SSL is mainly responsible on tests, launches, integrations, support, and operations. On the other hand, the Restore-L's function is to refuel tanks in space while they are in orbit. The refueling satellite is also made to refuel and service even those spacecrafts that are not built to be refueled while in space.
The Restore-L in-orbit mission will launch service robots that could attach to the space tanks that need either a dose of refuel, repair, or even a little cleaning. What it could do more in the future will depend on what NASA and SSL will see along the process.
This project opens an even more convenient space operations for NASA, while painting up a promising future for SSL should they be better in this current contract. SSL has always foreseen itself opening an in-orbit servicing business. In this way, both government and privately-owned space vessels will lessen their burdens, reports Popular Mechanics.
Refueling and maintaining spacecrafts and satellites while in-orbit has always been a problem for space-related companies, much more to those that have on-going space missions. Refueling will now be faster and economic since there will be no need to wait for the spacecraft to be manned back to Earth for refueling and no more huge need for spending for yet another independent space refuelers. The SSL and Restore-L project can easily do the job.
The $127 million contract will currently be exclusive between NASA and SSL. However, they are open for a more open and vast partnership in the future, Aviation Week reports. And the possibilities of opening this in-orbit space servicing mission to other space-related organizations in the future are endless. The Restore-L is targeted to be launched in 2020.
