Sherpa to rescue orbiting satellite
September 5, 2022
Spaceflight specialises in building so-called ‘space tugs’. These are satellites that can recover and transport orbiting craft which, for example, might be low on fuel. Spaceflight had one of its Sherpa craft launched on September 4th on a SpaceX rocket mission.
The company’s fifth craft, a Sherpa-LTC (which is the first chemical-powered version) and already has a ‘target’ satellite to rescue.
Spaceflight says: “The Sherpa-LTC will deploy from SpaceX’s Falcon 9, targeting a 310-kilometer circular orbit, before igniting and transporting an undisclosed customer payload, booked through Astro Digital, to a 1,000-kilometer circular orbit.”
Sherpa-LTC is the fourth iteration of Spaceflight’s Sherpa OTV [orbital transfer vehicle] programme and will be its fifth vehicle to launch. The OTV’s modular design enables Spaceflight to adapt its features to accommodate specific customer needs, providing customisable in-space transportation services that get spacecraft to their target destinations in a cost-effective and timely manner.
“Sherpa-LTC’s transportation capabilities coupled with the reliability and consistency of Starlink missions create an ideal solution for the customer’s unique mission needs,” said Curt Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight. “Our OTV eliminates the barriers that make it more challenging for spacecraft to access uncommon orbits in LEO and beyond. We’re eager to continue to provide innovative, cost-effective, and dependable in-space transportation services for our customers and partners like Astro Digital.”
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