Satellite repair robot launches from Florida

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A prototype satellite repair robot that can refuel, upgrade and repair satellites was launched from Florida on Thursday night to begin a three-month orbital field test.

The two-satellite system, called Orbital Express, was developed by the U.S. military in cooperation with NASA to extend the lives of spy satellites and lay the groundwork for the servicing and repair of government-owned spacecraft and telescopes after the space shuttle fleet is retired.

The unmanned Atlas 5 rocket carrying Orbital Express and four other small research satellites lifted off at 10:10 p.m. (0310 GMT on Friday) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, soaring through clear skies to place its clutch of payloads into their proper positions.

"What we're really trying to do with Orbital Express is to change the paradigm of how we operate in space," said program manager Fred Kennedy with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

With few exceptions, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, which was designed for in-flight servicing by space shuttle crews, spacecraft need to have everything aboard at the time they are launched. Once a key component breaks down, or when maneuvering fuel runs out, the satellites are dead.

Officials hope the repair robot will be able to refuel a satellite, replace faulty components and install equipment upgrades.

The U.S. Air Force bought the launch service from Atlas manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp., which in December began sales of its boosters along with Boeing Co.'s Delta rockets through a Denver-based joint-venture called United Launch Alliance.

FIELD TESTS IN SPACE

Orbital Express will undergo a thorough systems test period, which could last several weeks, ahead of flight demonstrations slated to run for at least three months.

The servicing craft, called ASTRO -- an acronym for Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations -- is filled with about 300 pounds (136 kg) of hydrazine propellant and includes a small robotic arm to latch onto or pass equipment to its partner spacecraft, known as NextSat.

The first tests involve fuel transfers and will take place while the two vehicles are attached to each other. After that, ASTRO will separate from NextSat.

Among the tasks the Orbital Express will attempt during the mission are transferring and hooking up a 53-pound (24-kg) battery, switching between a primary and backup computer and testing rendezvous and capture techniques.

"We're trying out brand-new technology," said Carol Welsch, a U.S. Air Force officer who helped put together the Orbital Express. "Quite honestly, some of these are very challenging technologies and they may not work."

Boeing is the prime contractor for the mission, which cost about $300 million.

Partners include Ball Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., Draper Laboratory of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Canada-based MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates.