WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:07.719 Welcome to Bedtime Astronomy. Explore the wonders of the cosmos 2 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:12.279 with our soothing Bedtime Astronomie podcast. Each episode offers a 3 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.320 gentle journey through the stars, planets, and beyond, perfect for 4 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:20.239 unwinding after a long day. Let's travel through the mysteries 5 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:22.440 of the universe as you drift off into a peaceful 6 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:26.800 slumber under the night sky. 7 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:29.600 So I want you to imagine for just a second 8 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:33.200 that you've walked into a dealership, right and you decide 9 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:37.359 to buy a brand new, absolute, top of the line 10 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:38.320 luxury car. 11 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:42.159 Okay, like a real high end, custom built situation exactly. 12 00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:44.479 I mean we are talking state of the art engineering here. 13 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:47.759 You spend a ridiculous amount of money on it, literally 14 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:51.119 millions of dollars. You custom order all the features, the 15 00:00:51.240 --> 00:00:55.159 leather is completely perfect, the electronics are you smarter than 16 00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:59.399 most desktop computers, and it just drives like an absolute. 17 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:01.520 Dream sounds like a great investment, honestly it does. 18 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:05.439 And here's the thing. There is one tiny, completely absurd 19 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:09.599 catch to this transaction. The manufacturer has completely welded the 20 00:01:09.640 --> 00:01:10.680 gas tank shut. 21 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:13.439 Oh wow, So there's there's no fuel cap at. 22 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:17.040 All, none, zero, no access port, whatsoever. You basically drive 23 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:19.159 it off the lot, knowing that there is absolutely no 24 00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:21.640 physical way to ever put more fuel into. 25 00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:23.799 That machine, which is just I mean, that's financial. 26 00:01:23.319 --> 00:01:25.560 Insanity, right, and you just accept it. You drive this 27 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:29.680 incredible machine for years. Yeah, maybe you get a solid 28 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:33.439 decade out of it, pulling massive value from the investment. 29 00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:35.359 Because it functions perfectly otherwise, right exactly. 30 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:39.519 Yeah, the engine is flawless, the transmission is buttery smooth, 31 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:43.159 the computers are sharp. But eventually, you know, inevitably, the 32 00:01:43.239 --> 00:01:45.480 laws of physics catch up with you, and that needle 33 00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:46.519 finally hits empty. 34 00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:48.439 And because you can't refuel it. 35 00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:51.799 Because you can't put gas in it, your only option, literally, 36 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:54.200 your only option, is to pull over onto the shoulder 37 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:57.120 of the highway, turn off the engine, walk away, and 38 00:01:57.239 --> 00:02:00.560 just leave a multi million dollar masterpiece to sit in 39 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:01.400 the dirt. 40 00:02:01.079 --> 00:02:03.040 And rot, and then go buy a new one. 41 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:04.680 And then go back to the dealership and buy a 42 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:05.280 brand new one. 43 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:07.799 Yeah, if any industry on Earth actually operated that way, 44 00:02:08.199 --> 00:02:09.919 we would, I mean, we'd call it a scam. You 45 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:13.960 would never accept that level of built in obsolescence in 46 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:17.520 your daily life. It just defies basic economic logic. 47 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:22.240 But the wild thing is historically this exact throwaway culture. 48 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:26.520 It's been precisely how humanity has managed our most expensive, 49 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:27.759 most complex machines. 50 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:28.960 Yeah, it really has. 51 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:31.400 For over half a century. This is exactly how we 52 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:35.120 have treated the multimillion dollar satellites orbiting our planet. I mean, 53 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:37.599 once the fuel on board is gone, the satellite is 54 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:38.639 just dead. 55 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:41.719 We literally abandoned the car on the side of the. 56 00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:44.120 Cosmic highways exactly, we just walk away. 57 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:49.080 And it's driven entirely by the unforgiving physics of space travel. Yeah, 58 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:51.879 and just the sheer cost of getting mass out of 59 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:52.840 Earth's gravity. 60 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:55.240 Well, right, because it takes so much effort just to 61 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:55.800 get it up there. 62 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:58.919 Yeah, you spend all your energy just surviving the violent 63 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:02.120 vibration of a rock at launch. Historically, you send a 64 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:05.199 machine into the void, and the void is a one 65 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:05.759 way trip. 66 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:07.120 There's no triple A to call. 67 00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:09.479 No, you can't send a mechanic up there. Once it's 68 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:11.759 up there, it is completely on its own. It's a 69 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:15.280 sealed system just ticking down to its eventual death. 70 00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:17.960 Well, the era of abandoning that car on the side 71 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:21.080 of the highway is officially ending, like right now. 72 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:22.560 It's a massive shift it is. 73 00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:25.680 The reality we are stepping into this month is staggering. 74 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:29.039 We are basically witnessing the birth of a brand new 75 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:30.080 orbital economy. 76 00:03:30.199 --> 00:03:32.280 Yeah, orbital tow trucks exactly. 77 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:36.240 We are talking about robotic salvage operators, tow trucks, and 78 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:40.039 space mechanics actively jumping into the void to fix things. 79 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:43.199 It's a fundamental shift in how we manage the space 80 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:43.960 above our heads. 81 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:47.319 And July twenty twenty six is really proving to be 82 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:50.719 the absolute turning point for this transition. We're currently watching 83 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:55.759 two incredibly groundbreaking missions happening simultaneously. 84 00:03:54.960 --> 00:03:57.280 Right now, which is just so cool to watch unfold. 85 00:03:57.400 --> 00:04:00.520 It really is. We have private companies to de'soying these 86 00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:05.439 highly specialized spacecraft essentially acting as robotic service stations and 87 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:08.680 deploying orbital jet packs to go out track down aging 88 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:11.599 technology and physically breathe new life into. 89 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:13.319 Them and saving a fortune in the process. 90 00:04:13.400 --> 00:04:16.079 Oh, we're talking about saving billions of dollars in replacement 91 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:19.839 costs and entirely rewriting the rule book on you know, 92 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:21.839 how long the spacecraft is supposed to live. 93 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:24.319 Okay, so let's unpack this and look at the mechanics 94 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:27.079 of how they're actually pulling this off, because honestly, the 95 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:29.279 logistics feel like something ripped straight out of a sci 96 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:29.800 fi novel. 97 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:30.399 The really do. 98 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:33.759 Let's start with the big one, the Triple A of space. 99 00:04:34.519 --> 00:04:37.879 On Tuesday, July twenty first, twenty twenty six, we saw 100 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:40.639 a massive launch out of Cape Canaveral in Florida. A 101 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:44.360 SpaceX Falcon nine rocket blasted off. But it wasn't carrying 102 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:47.680 your typical communications satellite, and it wasn't you know, a 103 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:50.800 telescope looking out into the deep universe. It was carrying 104 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:53.120 a piece of hardware called the MRV. 105 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:56.959 The Mission Robotic Vehicle designed and built by Northrop Grumman. 106 00:04:57.639 --> 00:05:01.160 And the MRV is a completely different beat compared to 107 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:04.360 the sort of passive technology we usually hurl into orbit. 108 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:06.560 Right, Usually things just sit there, Yeah. 109 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:08.600 A traditional satellite of design to look down at the 110 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:11.279 Earth or look out at the stars and largely just 111 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:13.319 stay out of the way of everything else. But the 112 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:17.759 MRV is designed to actively hunt down other human made machines. 113 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:21.759 It's like a predator, an active predator, yes. But for maintenance. 114 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:24.120 To give you a sense of scale for this thing, 115 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:27.079 I want you to picture a heavy duty commercial minivan 116 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:31.279 that's essentially the main central body the chassis of the MRV. 117 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:32.319 Basically a flying minivan. 118 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:36.360 Yeah. But bolted onto this minivan are two massive, highly 119 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:40.000 articulated robotic arms and they are ten feet long, so 120 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:42.720 about three meters each. So basically, have a minivan with 121 00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:46.399 giant mechanical arms hurtling through the freezing vacuum of space. 122 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:50.279 And those arms are a staggering piece of engineering on 123 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:52.920 their own, really, right, because think about what happens to 124 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:56.519 machinery in space. We take lubrication for granted. 125 00:05:56.199 --> 00:05:58.040 On Earth, right, you just add some oil. 126 00:05:58.040 --> 00:06:00.399 Exactly, if you have a robotic joint, you grease it. 127 00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:04.639 But in a vacuum, liquid lubricants instantly boil off or 128 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:05.560 they freeze solid. 129 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:07.720 Oh wow, I didn't even think about that. 130 00:06:07.959 --> 00:06:10.639 Yeah. And furthermore, a satellite moving in and out of 131 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:14.600 Earth's shadow experiences temperature swings of hundreds of degrees in 132 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:15.439 a matter of minutes. 133 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:17.439 This sounds brutal on the metal. 134 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:20.279 It is the side of the robotic arm facing the 135 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:23.160 sun is baking and physically expanding, while the side in 136 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:26.079 the shadow is freezing and contracting. So getting a ten 137 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:30.639 foot arm to maintain millimeter precision while fighting extreme thermal 138 00:06:30.680 --> 00:06:36.160 distortion and having no standard lubrication. It's a massive metallurgical achievement. 139 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:37.920 That is just wild. And the thing is it didn't 140 00:06:37.959 --> 00:06:39.680 just go up as an empty tow truck. It brought 141 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:43.639 its own payload with it. The MRV launched alongside three 142 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:46.879 separate modules. You can think of them as orbital jetpacks 143 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:51.360 or what Northrop calls mission extension pod the MEPs. Yeah, 144 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:54.360 and each of these jetpacks is roughly the size of 145 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:57.959 a standard washing machine. But they aren't using traditional chemical 146 00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:00.639 rocket fuel. You aren't going to see a massive plume 147 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:02.759 of fire shooting out of the back of them. 148 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:03.680 No fort here. 149 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:09.360 These are electric propelled modules equipped with Xenon gas thrusters. 150 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:12.000 And the choice of Xenon is incredibly specific for this 151 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:15.680 kind of mission. A chemical rocket like the Falcon nine 152 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:17.439 that brought them all up there in the first place, 153 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:20.120 relies on a violent chemical reaction. 154 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:21.879 The big explosion exactly. 155 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:25.680 You mix liquid oxygen and kerosene, ignite it, and you 156 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:29.160 get an explosion that pushes you upward. It's incredibly powerful, 157 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:33.079 but it burns through thousands of pounds of fuel in minutes. 158 00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:34.720 Right, which you can't really do if you're a washing 159 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:36.279 machine up in space exactly. 160 00:07:36.519 --> 00:07:39.959 So, these jet packs use Hall effect thrusters. They take xenon, 161 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:43.240 which is a very heavy, inert noble gas, and they 162 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:46.360 trap electrons in a magnetic field and they use those 163 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:50.480 electrons to ionize the xenon gas, essentially giving the gas 164 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:51.879 a positive electrical. 165 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:53.879 Charge, and then they use an electric field to shoot 166 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:56.480 that ionized gas out the back of the thruster right. 167 00:07:56.639 --> 00:08:01.040 Exactly, It throws the xenon atoms backward at phenomenal speeds. 168 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:04.000 We're talking sometimes upwards of thirty thousand to one hundred 169 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:07.560 thousand miles per hour. Wow. Because xenon atoms are so 170 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:10.720 heavy compared to other gases, shooting them out the back 171 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:15.399 generates a very steady, highly efficient thrust. You aren't burning 172 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:16.720 fuel in the traditional set. 173 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:19.800 You are electrically accelerating atomic bowling balls out the back 174 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:20.519 of the spacecraft. 175 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:23.800 That is a perfect way to describe it, atomic bowling balls. 176 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:26.639 So the choreography of how this all unfolds an orbit 177 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:28.800 is what completely broke my brain when I was looking 178 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:32.399 into this, Because the MRV and the three washing machine 179 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:35.080 jet packs, they all go up together inside the faring 180 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:37.639 and the Falcon nine. But once they hit the vacuum 181 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:39.679 of space, they don't stay attached. 182 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:43.720 No, they disperse. Following liftoff and insertion into the initial orbit, 183 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:47.080 those three jet packs actually physically detach from the main 184 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:48.080 MRV minivan. 185 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:49.240 They just pop off. 186 00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:52.200 Yeah, And because they have their own independent xenon thrusters 187 00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:55.039 and navigation systems, they don't need the MRV to carry 188 00:08:55.080 --> 00:08:57.440 them the rest of the way. They basically fly themselves 189 00:08:57.480 --> 00:09:00.519 out to their designated orbital parking spots and then what 190 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:03.879 they position themselves and then just power down their main 191 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:04.879 drives and wait. 192 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:07.600 They just hang out in the void completely alone. 193 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:10.600 Exactly, they wait for the MRV to do the heavy lifting. 194 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:13.639 The MRV, the minivan with ten foot arms, is going 195 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:17.000 to fly around, track down the first jetpack, use its 196 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:20.360 robotic arms to physically grapple it, and then carry that 197 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:24.639 jetpack over to a completely different, older, out of gas communication. 198 00:09:24.200 --> 00:09:26.039 Satellite like a dedicated delivery driver. 199 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:29.200 Right. The MRV will then physically plug the new jetpack 200 00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:32.279 into the dying satellite, effectively giving it a brand new 201 00:09:32.279 --> 00:09:35.720 engine and gas tank. The old satellite can now steer again, 202 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:38.440 and then the MRV is done with that one. Yes, 203 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:42.200 Once it's securely attached, the MRV lets go of the jetpack, 204 00:09:42.600 --> 00:09:45.039 zips off into the void to find the second jetpack, 205 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:48.639 and repeats the entire surgical process for another dying satellite. 206 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:51.960 It's honestly like a handyman walking around your neighborhood carrying 207 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:55.279 spare batteries plugging them into the dying smoke detectors in 208 00:09:55.279 --> 00:09:58.480 your house. Yeah, but the house is thousands of miles wide, 209 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:00.879 pitch black, and float in a vacuum. 210 00:10:00.919 --> 00:10:03.120 This is a very large, very dangerous house. 211 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:05.120 But this is where I have to pause and look 212 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:08.840 at the logic of the operation. Because if these jetpacks 213 00:10:08.960 --> 00:10:12.480 have their own zeneon thrusters, right, and they have the 214 00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:16.000 onboard computer brains to peel away from the rocket and 215 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:18.720 fly themselves to the right general orbit, yes they do, 216 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:22.639 then why do we even need the giant minivan sized 217 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:25.799 robot arm to plug them in? If the jet pet 218 00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:28.399 can fly, why can't it just fly right up to 219 00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:30.200 the dying satellite and dock itself. 220 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:33.960 That points to the central mechanical nightmare of this entire industry. 221 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:36.879 The limitation has nothing to do with the cutting edge 222 00:10:36.919 --> 00:10:39.679 technology of the new jet packs. Oh really, Yeah, the 223 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:42.600 limitation is the archaic design of the old satellites they're 224 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:46.279 trying to save. The communication satellites currently running out of 225 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:49.679 gas were built ten, fifteen, or even twenty years ago. 226 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:51.799 Ah different era of tech. 227 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:55.159 Completely different. Back then, the concept of orbital docking was 228 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:58.759 strictly reserved for massive government projects like the International Space 229 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:02.840 Station or the Space Shuttle. A standard commercial, television or 230 00:11:02.840 --> 00:11:06.120 internet satellite was built to be launched once and never 231 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:07.039 tensed again. 232 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:09.679 So they didn't build in a way to grab them exactly. 233 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:14.120 They do not have docking ports. There's no standard USB 234 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:16.600 slot to just click a new engine into. 235 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:19.960 So they are essentially trying to dock with a completely smooth, 236 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:21.960 uncooperative metal. 237 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:26.200 Box, a metal box covered in incredibly fragile, highly expensive 238 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:31.279 solar panels and delicate communication antennas. There are no designated 239 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:34.279 attachment points, you know, no laser guided docking. 240 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:35.720 Rings, so you can't just bump into it. 241 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:38.240 No, you absolutely can not just bump a washing machine 242 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:41.720 sized jetpack into a satellite and hope it miraculously sticks. 243 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:45.360 If the jetpack tries to dock itself, it risks smashing 244 00:11:45.399 --> 00:11:48.480 into a solar array and instantly creating millions of dollars 245 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:49.600 of space debris. 246 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:52.759 Which means you need the tactile, manual intervention of the MRV. 247 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:56.159 Right, you need a highly sophisticated intermediary. You need those 248 00:11:56.200 --> 00:11:59.960 ten foot robotic arms to carefully approach the dying satellite, 249 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:02.759 reach out and manually grapple the only solid piece of 250 00:12:02.759 --> 00:12:04.120 structure available. 251 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:05.559 Which is what what can they even grab onto? 252 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:09.080 Usually it's the original dead rocket nozzle of the old 253 00:12:09.080 --> 00:12:12.399 satellite's main engine. Wow, Okay, the MRV has to grab 254 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:16.679 that dead nozzle, stabilize the entire massive structure, and forcibly 255 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:20.399 marry the new jetpack to the old satellite. It requires 256 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:25.200 physical leverage, precise alignment, and incredibly delicate touch. 257 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:26.960 I want to talk about the physics of that for 258 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:28.960 a second, because think about the last time you tried 259 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:31.639 to delicately parallel park your car on a tight street. 260 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:33.519 It's stressful enough on Earth right. 261 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:35.720 Now, imagine trying to do that, but the core you 262 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:38.159 are trying to park next to is moving at thousands 263 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:40.559 of miles an hour, and neither of you have breaks. Yes, 264 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:42.759 And on top of that, you were dealing with Newton's 265 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:46.200 third law. In a vacuum, every action has an equal 266 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:49.919 and opposite reaction. So if the MRV reaches out with 267 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:52.320 the mechanical arm and pushes the new jetpack into the 268 00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:55.159 old satellite to lock it in place, doesn't the act 269 00:12:55.159 --> 00:12:58.080 of pushing just propel the MRV backward. 270 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:01.440 It absolutely does this. This is why orbital robotics is 271 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:05.600 so astonishingly difficult. If you imagine standing on a frictionless 272 00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:08.279 sheet of ice while wearing ice skates, right, okay, yeah, 273 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:10.559 and someone hands you a bowling ball and you try 274 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:13.600 to shove that bowling ball into a very specific slot. 275 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:15.039 On the wall, you're going to slide backward. 276 00:13:15.399 --> 00:13:18.559 The moment you push the ball forward, your skate slide backward. 277 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:22.679 The MRV has to constantly counteract its own mechanical forces. 278 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:26.200 As the ten foot arm pushes the jetpack forward into 279 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:29.480 the dead engine nozzle of the target satellite. The mrv's 280 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:33.120 own tiny attitude control thrusters have to fire in the 281 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:36.799 exact opposite direction just to cancel up the push, yes 282 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:39.759 with a precise amount of counterforce to keep the minivan stationary. 283 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:42.519 If they miscalculate the thrust, they either bounce off the 284 00:13:42.559 --> 00:13:44.960 target or they smash straight through it. It is an 285 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:48.159 intricate ballet of force and counterforce. 286 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:50.159 And the old satellite is essentially just a five thousand 287 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:53.440 pound brick at this point. Basically, yeah, it cannot stabilize itself. 288 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:56.559 It can't adjust its attitude to help the MRV catch it. 289 00:13:56.559 --> 00:13:59.759 It is a completely passive target. So the MRV has 290 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:01.960 to do one hundred percent of the heavy lifting to 291 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:03.720 make the connection safe, which. 292 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:08.240 Is exactly why having a specialized, reusable robotic vehicle is 293 00:14:08.279 --> 00:14:11.879 the only way to perform this operation safely. And this 294 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:14.240 is a big but the mechanical nightmare of catching that 295 00:14:14.279 --> 00:14:16.679 frictionless bowling ball is really only half the battle. 296 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:20.120 The other half is the commute, right because the location 297 00:14:20.279 --> 00:14:23.440 where this high stakes intervention is taking place completely up 298 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:26.879 ends how we normally think about space travel timelines. Oh absolutely, 299 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:29.799 we are not talking about something flying just above the 300 00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:32.639 atmosphere where the space station lives. The MRV and these 301 00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:36.320 jetpacks are heading to geosynchronous. 302 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:40.200 Orbit geosynchronous orbit or GEO. This is the absolute prime 303 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:43.600 real estate of the global space economy. We are talking 304 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:47.799 about a very specific, highly contested ring around the Earth's equator, 305 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:52.679 situated a staggering twenty two thousand, three hundred miles away. 306 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:54.360 Which is just a massive distance. 307 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:57.919 It's huge in kilometers. It's roughly thirty six thousand kilometers 308 00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:00.720 straight up. Just to give you some perspective, the International 309 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:03.600 Space Station orbits at about two hundred and fifty miles above. 310 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:05.480 US, So two hundred and fifty miles versus twenty two 311 00:15:05.559 --> 00:15:06.519 thousand miles right. 312 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:08.879 The MRV is going nearly one hundred times further out 313 00:15:08.919 --> 00:15:09.639 into the defoid. 314 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:12.000 And if you're wondering why anyone would bother parking a 315 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:15.000 satellite twenty two thousand miles away when we have perfectly 316 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:17.480 good orbits right next door, it all comes down to 317 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:21.519 the physics of angular velocity. Why is that specific altitude 318 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:23.279 so unbelievably valuable? 319 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:26.360 It is entirely about matching the speed of the Earth's rotation. 320 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:30.000 The closer a satellite is to the Earth, the faster 321 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:32.279 it has to travel to avoid falling back into the 322 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:34.159 atmosphere due to gravity. 323 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:36.039 Because gravity is pulling harder when you're closer. 324 00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:39.200 Exactly so, the Space station orbits the Earth completely once 325 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:43.320 every ninety minutes. It is constantly rising and setting, But 326 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:47.279 as you move further away from the Earth, gravity's pull weakens, 327 00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:50.159 meaning a satellite doesn't have to travel as fast to 328 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:51.240 stay in orbit. 329 00:15:51.159 --> 00:15:53.279 So it's orbital period. The time it takes to go 330 00:15:53.320 --> 00:15:55.440 around the Earth once just gets longer and longer the 331 00:15:55.519 --> 00:15:56.120 higher you go. 332 00:15:56.240 --> 00:16:00.000 Precisely, and in nineteen twenty eight, an engineer name Hermie 333 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:04.240 and Potochnick calculated, and later Arthur C. Clark popularized a 334 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:06.399 very specific mathematical sweet spot. 335 00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:07.919 Okay, what's the sweet spot? 336 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:10.279 If you push a satellite out to exactly twenty two 337 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:13.320 three hundred miles above the equator, the time it takes 338 00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:15.879 for that satellite to complete one orbit around the Earth 339 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:20.360 is exactly twenty three hours, fifty six minutes and four seconds. 340 00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:22.279 Which perfectly matches the time it takes for the Earth 341 00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:26.200 to complete one rotation on its axis exactly so. 342 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:29.279 To an observer standing on the ground, a satellite in 343 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:33.279 geosynchronous orbit appears completely motionless in the sky. 344 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:36.039 That's wild. It just hangs there. 345 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:38.399 It stays locked over the exact same patch of the 346 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:41.279 planet twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. 347 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:44.679 And this is the entire foundation of modern global communication. 348 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:49.480 If you are a satellite television provider or a company 349 00:16:49.559 --> 00:16:53.799 running secure financial data across an ocean, you need your 350 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:56.679 customers to be able to bolt a dish to their roof, 351 00:16:57.039 --> 00:16:59.720 point it at one specific unmoving spot in the sky, 352 00:17:00.200 --> 00:17:00.919 never have to touch it. 353 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:02.919 Again, because if it moved, it would be a nightmare. 354 00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:03.240 Right. 355 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:05.200 If the satellite was in a lower orbit, it would 356 00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:07.839 zoom across the sky like a shooting star. You would 357 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:10.880 need a dish with complex motors tracking it constantly, and 358 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:13.680 you'd lose the signal every single time the satellite dipped 359 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:14.640 below the horizon. 360 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:19.519 But in GEO, you get continuous, uninterrupted coverage over an 361 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:22.960 entire continent. That is why hundreds of our most critical, 362 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:26.279 most expensive communication satellites are clustered out in that one 363 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:27.000 specific ring. 364 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:29.960 It's basically a multi billion dollar orbital parking lot. 365 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:31.000 That's exactly what it is. 366 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:34.359 But getting to that parking lot takes a shocking amount 367 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:36.400 of time. I mean, this launch we are talking about 368 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:40.079 happened in July twenty twenty six, the Falcon nine drop 369 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:43.400 them off in space. But the first actual satellite rescue, 370 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:45.920 the first time those robotic arms grab a jetpack and 371 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:48.960 plug it into a dying satellite, won't happen until mid 372 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:52.000 twenty twenty seven. It is going to take a full 373 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:54.880 year for the MRV and the jetpacks just to get 374 00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:55.880 into position a. 375 00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:58.319 Full year of immense patients. And this brings us back 376 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:02.079 to those xenon gas thrusters mentioned earlier. The physics of 377 00:18:02.119 --> 00:18:06.119 electric propulsion dictate a completely different timeline than we are 378 00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:07.720 used to seeing in space exploration. 379 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:10.200 Because with a chemical rocket, a trip to the Moon, 380 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:13.440 which is ten times further away than GEO, only takes 381 00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:16.000 three days. So why does it take a year to 382 00:18:16.039 --> 00:18:17.519 go a fraction of the distance. 383 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:19.720 It comes down to a concept called the tyranny of 384 00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:24.000 the rocket equation and the tradeoff between thrust and specific impulse. 385 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:28.359 Chemical rockets give you a massive, instantaneous burst of acceleration. 386 00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:29.519 They kick you out fast. 387 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:31.279 They can kick you out to the Moon in a 388 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:34.079 matter of days. But to get that power they have 389 00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:38.400 to burn an astronomical amount of heavy liquid fuel. If 390 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:41.119 you tried to pack enough chemical fuel into the MRV 391 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:45.400 to constantly maneuver and rescue multiple satellites, the vehicle would 392 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:47.480 be the size of a skyscraper and you just couldn't 393 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:49.680 launch it right. No rocket on Earth could lift it 394 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:50.440 off the launch. 395 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:53.200 Pad, So you have to sacrifice the immediate burst of 396 00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:55.319 speed for long term efficiency. 397 00:18:55.599 --> 00:19:01.400 Exactly electric thrusters ionizing that xenon gas an incredibly high 398 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:05.119 specific impulse, meaning they're vastly more efficient with their fuel, 399 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:08.200 But the physical thrust they produce at any given moment 400 00:19:08.759 --> 00:19:09.759 is microscopic. 401 00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:11.720