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NASA Tests New Technologies for Robotic Refueling of Satellites

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Kennedy Space Center are joining up to test new robotic refueling technologies that could help satellites live longer in space. During the test, a robotic arm with a highly specialized tool transfers satellite oxidizer - an extremely corrosive fluid that helps propel satellites in orbit - through the valve of a simulated spacecraft. The test is being operated remotely from Goddard while performed at Kennedy's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The test simulates the refueling of a spacecraft in orbit, an extremely challenging task that the team has been tackling since they launched the successful Robotic Refueling Mission demonstration to the International Space Station in 2011. In this video, robotic arm operator Alex Janas introduces RROxiTT (Remote Robotic Oxidizer Transfer Test).