Jay Clemens
Space Systems Loral has been awarded a $20.7 million contract to build a robotic arm for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s servicing program for geosynchronous satellites.
The company said Thursday it will design two robotic arm systems to capture and dock with satellites and carry multiple tools to carry out requirements of the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program.
DARPA aims to assess, reposition, repair and update GEO satellites as well as integrate hardware and software toolkit into a servicing vehicle for spacecraft maintenance works.
Al Tadros, vice president of civil and Defense Department business at SSL, said the satellite servicing program is meant to facilitate spacecraft assembly and satellite maintenance operations in orbit.
SSL received the contract through MDA’s US Systems division and the company will collaborate with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to develop the robotic arm.
