Tags: NASA, Canadian Space Agency, Satellite Repair,Refueling
Publication: GizMag.com
Publication Date: 01/25/2013

Canadian Dextre robot approaches the RRM module on the International Space Station during the RRM Gas Fittings Removal task. Image credit: NASA

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have successfully refueled a mock satellite on the exterior of the International Space Station using the Robotic Refueling Module (RRM) and Canada’s Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, or Dextre. The series of tests toward developing refueling methods to extend orbiting satellites’ useful lifetime and reducing the amount of space debris began on Jan. 14 and ended on Jan. 25.

The most complex challenge for the experiment was to open the satellite’s fuel tank, considering that the spacecraft are not built to be refueled after they launch. The operation requires moves such as cutting and securing wires, opening and shutting valves, and replacing tools; complex maneuvers for a robot. The Dextre, however, is equipped with tools and adapters that enable it to perform some of these functions.

A Canadian team at the Johnson Space Center in Houston remotely controlled Dextre with supervision from the ISS crew.

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