Innovative spacecraft on track to make
history as first-ever to refuel satellite in Low Earth
Orbit
WESTMINSTER, CO, April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Maxar
Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), a U.S.-based global technology
innovator powering the new space economy, today announced that the
spacecraft bus it is building for NASA's Restore-L project to
refuel a satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has completed an
important review process called the Critical Design Review (CDR).
With the CDR complete, the spacecraft bus is on track to ship to
NASA in 2020 for integration with the robotic payload and a
forecasted launch in 2022. Maxar is also building both nimble
robotic arms for the Restore-L spacecraft, which will capture,
manipulate and refuel the Landsat 7 satellite.
As previously announced, Maxar is working with NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center's Satellite Servicing Projects Division
(SSPD) to build a spacecraft that will rendezvous with,
refuel, and safely release the U.S. Geological Survey's Landsat 7
remote sensing satellite in LEO. Restore-L is funded by NASA's
Space Technology Mission Directorate. In addition to demonstrating
the ability to refuel a satellite that was not designed to be
serviced, Restore-L aims to validate the use of tools, technologies
and techniques developed to enable future exploration missions and
jumpstart a new satellite servicing industry for government and
commercial customers.
The CDR took place over a five-day period at Maxar's Silicon
Valley manufacturing facility and demonstrated that the company's
spacecraft bus design meets mission requirements. NASA missions
undergo multiple rigorous technical and programmatic reviews as
they proceed through the phases of development prior to launch. The
CDR is the third of six major NASA mission milestones, culminating
with the spacecraft's launch.
The Maxar-built Restore-L spacecraft bus will provide the
structural support, propulsion, attitude control, data and
communications interface and power to support the Restore-L robotic
payload for the on-orbit demonstration. The spacecraft design is
based on Maxar's decades-proven 1300-class platform, which has the
flexibility and power to enable a broad range of missions and
technology advances.
"The technologies proven on Restore-L are of great value to
future exploration and science missions, and will play a crucial
role in enabling our exploration of the Moon and beyond," said
Mike Edwards, Maxar's Senior Vice
President of Strategic Growth. "Satellite servicing is one of many
disruptive technologies that Maxar is pioneering to provide our
customers with expanded options for more resilient and
cost-effective operations in space."
Read about some of the other space infrastructure projects that
Maxar is working on in our blog.
The operations of DigitalGlobe, SSL and Radiant Solutions were
unified under the Maxar brand in February; MDA continues to operate
as an independent business unit within the Maxar organization.
About Maxar Technologies
As a global leader of
advanced space technology solutions, Maxar is at the nexus of the
new space economy, developing and sustaining the infrastructure and
delivering the information, services, systems that unlock the
promise of space for commercial and government markets. The
operations of DigitalGlobe, SSL and Radiant Solutions were unified
under the Maxar brand in February; MDA continues to operate as an
independent business unit within the Maxar organization. As a
trusted partner with 5,900 employees in over 30 global locations,
Maxar provides vertically integrated capabilities and expertise
including satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and
analytics to help customers anticipate and address their most
complex mission-critical challenges with confidence. Every day,
billions of people rely on Maxar to communicate, share information
and data, and deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar
trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange as
MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.
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Media Contact
Omar
Mahmoud
Maxar Media Relations
1-650-852-5388
omar.mahmoud@sslmda.com
Investor Relations Contact
Jason Gursky
Maxar VP Investor Relations
1-303-684-2207
jason.gursky@maxar.com
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SOURCE Maxar Technologies Ltd.