“Intelsat 901 has returned to service following the successful docking with the first Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-1) from Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) and the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, SpaceLogistics LLC … the first time that two commercial spacecraft docked in geostationary orbit", the release said.
Northrop Grumman’s spacecraft named “MEV-1” docked with the Intelsat satellite in February, performing an operation that allowed the 19-year old Intelsat 901 satellite to resume communication services for Europe and over the Atlantic Ocean.
Intelsat had reportedly turned off the satellite, while Northrop-Grumman said on Friday that the operation had allowed operators to turn the satellite back on with its service life extended for another five years.
Under the terms of the contract, Northrop Grumman and SpaceLogistics will provide five years of life extension services to before moving the communications spacecraft to a final decommissioning orbit.
MEV-1 will then be available to provide additional mission extension services for new clients including orbit raising, inclination corrections and inspections. Intelsat has also contracted with Northrop Grumman for a second MEV (MEV-2) to service Intelsat 1002 satellite later this year, this year, according to the release.
The previously untried technology is expected to reduce the frequency of commercial satellite launches by allowing spacecraft to remain in use well beyond projected service lives.