Using space robots to fix ailing satellites?

This is not new ....: ... I worked on the project that was supposed to repair the Hubble, which was adapted from another "robotic satellite repair" project.

In the end of the day, the cost of development and execution turned out to be more than double the cost of just replacing the satellite or in the case of the Hubble, 2 dedicated shuttle launches.

This method sounds interesting and promising to people who haven't work in the aerospace industry. But once you analyze the cost vs benefit, the result is the same .... robotic repair missions are more expensive than replacement.

The biggest problem: single mission use. Because even satellites of the same model are very different in configuration and each have thousands of reasons/ways to brake, it is nearly impossible to design a multi-purpose robot that can handle multiple missions in one flight. On top of that, most satellites weren't designed to "dock" with another spacecraft. Making any repair mission more difficult and increasing the chance of damage during approach.; Posted by: wackoae Posted on: 10/04/08 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Reply to Story Reply to Message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

This is not new .... wackoae | 10/04/08

Sorry... ejhonda | 10/06/08

Fix with what spares? tim@... | 10/06/08

What do you think?

Here to help you with your Document Management Needs
Check out Doc’s Blog on ZDNet
Help your company, help the earth I want to share with you the Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator, which allows you to gauge your organization's environmental impact.
Which is Greener: Paper or Digital? The Answer May Surprise You Anything we can do to reduce paper consumption is good. But what about the impact of digital waste?
Produced by
ZDNet and