Northrop Grumman Successfully Integrates Spacecraft for Next-Generation Space Robotic Servicing System

Northrop Grumman integrated the robotics payload, developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), onto its Mission Robotics Vehicle at the company’s Dulles, Virginia facility. (Photo Credit: Northrop Grumman).

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s SpaceLogistics LLC has integrated a robotics payload onto its Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) spacecraft bus, achieving another milestone for its MRV and the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program. The sophisticated robotics of the MRV builds on the company’s proven satellite servicing technology.

Integrating the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s robotics payload onto MRV brings SpaceLogistics closer to delivering the first commercial spacecraft with robotic servicing capabilities for commercial and government satellites in geosynchronous earth orbit. Next, it will go through environmental testing to validate its performance in space.

“Innovative. Flexible. Adaptable. That is how we see the future of on-orbit servicing, and it is why we are the leading industry advocate for a model of future satellite operations that increases value for our customers,” said Rob Hauge, president, SpaceLogistics. “With advanced robotics technology and our proven experience in satellite servicing, we are delivering the next generation of in-space sustainment technologies.”