Robotic Servicing Mission Launches with NASA Support

Following its liftoff from Cape Canaveral on July 21 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) hosting the NASA-supported Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) payload is now en route to geosynchronous Earth orbit, where it will use its advanced robotics to service spacecraft. S. capabilities for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing that can be applied to space commerce and exploration.

Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle hosting the NASA-supported Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) payload launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on July 21. S. Naval Research Laboratory.

S. Naval Research Laboratory. DARPA provided the robotic arm assembly for integration onto Northrop Grumman’s MRV, the nation’s first multi-mission robotic in-space servicer.

The spacecraft will inspect and upgrade satellites in orbit by installing small propulsion modules – called mission extension pods – extending the operational life of existing spacecraft for years. RSGS brings together government agencies and industry to test advanced robotic systems in space. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, began supporting the RSGS mission in 2024 under an interagency agreement with DARPA.

NASA’s contributions to the mission leverage its legacy of servicing missions including the Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions and the Robotic Refueling Missions on the International Space Station. NASA support to RSGS program includes the development of dynamic simulation and analysis tools, software analysis for performance verification, and a team of flight robot operators who will support highly technical procedures in orbit. Hundreds of satellites are in geosynchronous orbit.

Of those, fully functional satellites are often decommissioned early because they run out of fuel or their equipment becomes obsolete. S. capability to extend the lifetime of spacecraft in orbit, allowing for more innovative and cost-effective mission designs.

By Colleen Wouters NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.