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Pentagon's In-Orbit Satellite Recycling Program Moving Forward

Posted by Unknown on from the suddenly-babylon-five dept.

An anonymous reader writes with an update on DARPA's plans to rebuild satellites in orbit. "A year old DARPA program which aims to recycle satellites in orbit has started its next phase by looking for a guinea pig defunct satellite to use for evaluating the technology required. The program involves a Dr Frankensat 'complete with mechanical arms and other "unique tools"' and blank "satlets" to build upon.' Need parts! Kill the little one!" If we're ever going to build space craft and other things in orbit, this seems like a great first step.

5 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Pentagon work by bughunter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You're quite unfamiliar with how DARPA works, aren't you?

    Wait. That's not a question. You obviously are.

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    I can see the fnords!
  2. If it works... by Oxford_Comma_Lover · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If it works, great. If it doesn't, one collision can set us back *decades* in terms of the Kessler effect (i.e. space junk that makes it harder to launch/maintain orbit without more collisions).

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    -- IANAL, this isn't legal advice, and definitely isn't legal advice for you. Also, Squee!
  3. DARPA Hard by bughunter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    DARPA doesn't do anything little, or incremental, or obvious. In the jargon it's gotta be "DARPA Hard."

    The obvious, incremental technology would be to build satellites so that they could be refueled on orbit by something like this Pheonix spacecraft.

    But no! That's too easy. It's gotta be a McGuyver. Anything else is aiming too low.

    Something useful will come of this program, it typically does. And, as usual, it may not be what they expected nor will it necessarily be immediately practical.

    However, that's exactly what DARPA is paying for.

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    I can see the fnords!
  4. Best idea from the Pentagon in a while by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It seems fairly obvious to me - Satellites become useless if just a few key parts fail, leaving the rest of the equipment in perfect working order.

    If just one of the radio receiver, radio transmitter fails, the solar panel fails, the engine (gyroscope or whatever) fails, it is worthless, even if everything else still works.

    The trick of course will be to standardize the parts to make it easier to mix and match.

  5. Re:Pentagon work by SuricouRaven · · Score: 5, Informative

    DARPA runs high-risk high-payoff research. Ninety-nine out of a hundred things they try fail - but the one that actually works is revolutionary.