Launch of the Falcon launch vehicle 9 of the company SpaceX was successfully held 21 July 2026 year Fr. 17:15 Eastern time (EDT) from the space base at Cape Canaveral in Florida. This mission is a pioneering step in the development of commercial maintenance of vehicles in orbit, implemented by Northrop subsidiary SpaceLogistics.
The spacecraft consists of two main elements:
Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV): Robotic spacecraft, equipped with two 3-meter (10-feet) robotic hands-manipulators. They were developed jointly with the Research Laboratory of the US Navy (Naval Research Laboratory).
Mission Extension Pods (MEP): Three separate jetpack modules, which act as jetpacks for satellites.
How it works
Installation in orbit: The MRV spacecraft will independently reach geostationary orbit at an altitude of approx 35 780 km (22 000 miles) above the earth.
Work procedure: Using robotic arms, the MRV will attach three MEP modules to three different actuators, but exhausted commercial satellite clients, which are almost out of fuel.
Extension of the deadline: Once installed, the MEP modules will provide the satellites with a new electrical propulsion system. Each such "jetpack" is capable of maintaining the orientation and orbital position of the satellite for a period of time 6-8 years.
No rocket landing: Because the delivery of such a large amount of space equipment required the maximum performance of the Falcon rocket 9 (sending cargo directly to geostationary orbit), SpaceX had no way to land the first stage back on Earth. Because of this, SpaceX deliberately retired its first degree after the record 32 successful flights.
Source: https://spacenews.com