The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a €119mn contract with Italian scaleup D-Orbit for its first in-orbit servicing mission, RISE. Scheduled for launch in 2028, RISE will attempt to rendezvous with, maneuver, and detach from an ESA satellite in geostationary orbit. Then it will embark on an 8-year mission, visiting several other satellites and giving them a new lease on life. RISE, which is about the size of a minivan, will be like a car mechanic, but for aging spacecraft. It will refuel them, repair them, relocate them to a different orbit, and even attach them with a module…
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