Robotics & Automation News

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servicing

SSL selected to partner with Darpa to develop satellite servicing business

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Space Systems Loral, a leading provider of innovative satellites and spacecraft systems, today announced it has been selected by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop the capability to service and maintain spacecraft and other infrastructure in the geostationary arc.

Darpa’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program is expected to be the foundation of a new business for SSL that will serve both commercial and government operators with repair, upgrade, relocation, and refueling of on-orbit assets.

Howard Lance, chief executive officer, SSL MDA Holdings, says: “This will be SSL’s first spacecraft contract with the Department of Defense in recent years and it is the third time that we have been selected by the US government for a major program in just two months, following our recent selections for Nasa’s Restore-L and Psyche missions.

“It clearly demonstrates the success of our strategy to bring the benefits of our commercial business to a broader audience and to grow our business with US government work.”  [Read more…] about SSL selected to partner with Darpa to develop satellite servicing business

Pearson becomes Fanuc certified servicing integrator

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Pearson Packaging Systems
Pearson Packaging Systems technicians have earned what they say is a much-sought-after accreditation

Pearson says its technicians have complete Fanuc’s extensive training program and earn a “hard-to-come-by accreditation” to perform robotic troubleshooting and repair work

Pearson Packaging Systems, a provider of automation solutions and longstanding Fanuc partner, has become a Fanuc-certified servicing integrator. 

Pearson is now able to augment its service offering to customers by taking full responsibility for diagnosing issues and executing warranty repairs that would previously have required Fanuc-direct assistance.

The Fanuc seal of approval is “held by less than 5 per cent of all authorized system integrators nationwide”, accorind to Pearson, which claims to be the only integrator on the West Coast with such an accreditation.  [Read more…] about Pearson becomes Fanuc certified servicing integrator

SSL to provide robotic arms to Darpa for satellite servicing

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SSL artist rendering robotic arms. Source: Darpa (PRNewsFoto/SSL)

Space Systems Loral (SSL), a provider of innovative satellites and spacecraft systems, has received $20.7 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) to design and build robotic arm flight hardware for the first phase of the agency’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program.

SSL is receiving the funds through MDA US Systems, a division of MDA managed by SSL, and is working with the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), which is the prime contractor managing the program.

The contract is for two complete robotic arm systems, which would be able to carefully capture and berth with satellites that were not previously designed for docking.  [Read more…] about SSL to provide robotic arms to Darpa for satellite servicing