The FCC, on September 25th, issued permission for a rescue attempt on Intelsat’s ‘drifting’ Galaxy 25 satellites with a Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV/Space Tug) over the next few days. The FCC is keen on the whole exercise being seen as an experimental mission.

In its permission, the FCC stated: “After an extended period of drifting, and pursuant to a separate experimental authorisation, Galaxy 25 will dock with the mission extension vehicle (MEV), and the MEV will perform a series of tests while docked.”

Galaxy 25 was launched in 1997 (by Russia’s Internation Launch Services on a Proton rocket) and constructed by Space Systems/Loral. It had an expected in-service life of 12 years.

The MEV Rescue Tug was built by Northrop Grumman. Their Mission Extension Vehicles are the industry’s first satellite servicing vehicles, designed to dock with geostationary satellites whose fuel has nearly depleted. Once docked, MEV uses its own thrusters and fuel supply to control the orbit of the customer satellite. When the customer no longer desires MEV’s service, it can undock and move to a new client’s vehicle.

In essence the mission is designed to provide a solution to drifting satellites and in particular recent experiences such as Galaxy 15 (pictured) and where Intelsat lost the ability to control and the craft’s drift path crossed the orbits of other working satellites.

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Categories: Blogs, Inside Satellite, Satellite

Tags: FCC, galaxy, Intelsat