NASA selects builder for robotic satellite servicing craft

NASA has a builder to construct a five-ton spacecraft to catch up with the aging Landsat 7 Earth observation satellite and refuel it in 2020, employing robotic tools mastered in years of rehearsals on the International Space Station. The government-managed servicing mission is named Restore-L, and NASA officials hope it will jump-start commercial concepts to refuel and repair satellites. NASA announced Dec. 5 that Space Systems/Loral, a U.S.-based satellite manufacturer owned by Canada’s MDA Corp., will build the Restore-L mission’s satellite bus. The contract is worth up to $127 million, NASA said, but that could represent just part of MDA’s contribution to the mission. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 11)