Satellite Lost In Space? We’ll Tow It, Says Israeli Startup

It’s not a tractor beam, but a robotic space tow-truck could get the job done just as well. An Israeli startup has designed a Micro-satellite, which it says can dock with a wayward satellite and tug it into the right orbit. The company, Effective Space Solutions Ltd., says it’s in talks with several manufacturers to build the tugboat, or “DeOrbiter” micro-satellite. It hopes to launch within two years. The planned satellite, once built and deployed, should be able to rendezvous with in-orbit satellites and propel them into new orbits, give them course corrections, or steer them towards what’s known as the “graveyard orbit” – a decommissioned satellite graveyard some 300km above their usual height of 36,000 kilometers over the equator. This fuel saving can extend a communications satellite’s life. More

(Source: Wall Street Journal - Aug 28)