Northrop says this is a first step toward a fleet of satellite-servicing vehicles. //

On Tuesday, a spacecraft that was launched four months earlier docked with a communications satellite about 36,000km above the Earth. Northrop Grumman reported the historic docking on Wednesday, and the company heralded the mission as an "historic accomplishment" in the field of satellite servicing. Prior to this mission, no two commercial spacecraft had ever docked in orbit before.

Launched on a Proton rocket in October, the Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1) has a fairly long history of development under various companies. Ultimately, it was brought to space by SpaceLogistics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. After the company's rideshare launch in October, its MEV-1 spacecraft used electric-propulsion thrusters to raise its orbit 290km above geosynchronous orbit. //

a communications satellite launched in 2001 (Intelsat-901) was pulled from active service in December 2019 as it ran low on fuel. Operators commanded the satellite to move into a "graveyard orbit" above geostationary space. It is here that MEV-1 linked up with the communications satellite on Tuesday.

According to Northrop Grumman, the combined spacecraft stack will now perform on-orbit checkouts before MEV-1 starts to relocate the combined vehicle back into geostationary orbit, where Intelsat 901 will continue in service for five additional years. //

Northrop says its MEV-1 spacecraft uses a mechanical docking system that attaches to existing features on a satellite, and it is designed for multiple docking and undockings and can deliver over 15 years of life-extension services. The company plans to launch its second Mission Extension Vehicle, MEV-2, later this year. Northrop also said this is its first step toward establishing a fleet of satellite servicing vehicles that not only extend the life of satellites but provide inclination changes and spacecraft inspections and perform in-orbit repair and assembly. ///

This design has been on paper for several decades, but kept getting killed by company execs who didn't want to kill their cash cow of building and launching new satellites. Northrop Grumman doesn't have a big satellite manufacturing or launch business, but now they have the potential for a satellite refueling and repair business....