Robotic Servicing Mission Launches with NASA Support

A NASA-supported robotic servicing mission launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying Northrop Grumman's Mission Robotic Vehicle equipped with twin robotic arms built by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. The spacecraft will travel to geosynchronous orbit where it will service satellites by installing small propulsion modules, extending their operational life by years and preventing them from being decommissioned when they run out of fuel. NASA News reports the effort brings together government agencies and industry to advance U.S. space servicing capabilities, with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center providing flight operators and simulation tools to support the technical procedures in orbit.

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