Two US aerospace companies are testing a new spacecraft-refuelling technology that could significantly extend the lives of satellites orbiting the Earth. Ball Aerospace and Starsys, both from Denver, are key players in a 300 million mission called Orbital Express, demonstrating that it is possible to robotically connect two satellites in space for refuelling and servicing.

“Satellites generally reach their end of life not because the hardware degrades but because they run out of propellant or their batteries degrade,” said George Whitesides, executive director of the Washington-based National Space Society. With the technology Orbital Express is testing, “we may be able to double, triple, quadruple the life of these geostationary satellites,” he said. “When you’re talking about objects that cost millions, even a billion dollars, that’s great.”

A milestone in the mission is scheduled for this weekend. Two satellites—one built by Boulder-based Ball Aerospace called NextSat and another built by Boeing called ASTRO—were connected and launched into space on March 8. ASTRO carried a capture mechanism designed and built by Louisville-based Starsys. The capture system has three arms that extend and grab a fixture on the NextSat satellite and pull it in.

Intermediate “baby step” separation tests have been performed in space, with the satellites separating while connected with a robotic arm. The two spacecraft will separate completely, fly independently about 33 ft apart and then come back together.
Kelly Yamanouchi NYT-WIECK