Intelsat satellite resumes operations after docking of robotic servicer

An Intelsat communications spacecraft running low on fuel has resumed commercial operations more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the Atlantic Ocean after getting an assist from a pioneering servicing satellite earlier this year. A first-of-its-kind Mission Extension Vehicle built in Virginia by Northrop Grumman docked with the Intelsat 901 satellite Feb. 25, accomplishing the first link-up between two satellites in geosynchronous orbit, a region high above the equator where spacecraft move at speeds that match the rate of Earth’s rotation. More

(Source: SoacedFlight Now - Apr 23)