Airmen with the 3rd Space Operations Squadron, along with engineers from Lockheed Martin and The Aerospace Corporation, successfully demonstrated the capability to correct a wayward satellite using the spacecraft’s reaction wheels recently.
The successful procedure represents an important achievement and provides wide ranging benefits to satellite systems and American taxpayers because it can potentially boost the lifespan of on-orbit satellites.
“The reason this successful test is so significant is it shows we don’t necessarily need to use a satellite’s thrusters, and thus, its valuable fuel, to recover a vehicle,” said 3 SOPS Capt Karl Meyer, the test’s executer.
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