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Space Tugboat to Refuel Satellites

Posted by michael on from the regular-or-unleaded dept.

Faeton sent in this article about a proposed space tugboat to refuel aging satellites. Looks like they're just going to bolt on some extra thrusters with a new fuel supply, guidance system, etc.

2 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. Re:What ever happened to ion drives? by mumkin · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wha? They're using them:

    from http://www.orbitalrecovery.com/faq.html

    Attitude control for the SLES and the telecommunications satellite to which it is mated is handled by ion thruster packs mounted on deployable booms. These booms are extended to provide sufficient thruster impulse for control of the SLES/telecom satellite combination.

  2. Re:What ever happened to ion drives? by ender81b · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually the shuttle is incapable or reaching GeoSynch orbit w/o substantional modifications - and dangerous ones (like a fuel tank in cargo bay, extra SRB, etc) or refueling at the ISS if that ever becomes a possibility. The highest altitude a shuttle has ever achieved, IIRC, is around 490 miles.

    So if there really was a mess in GeoSynch they would just be screwed...