On Monday, February 24, 2020, at about 9 p.m. U.S. Eastern time, a robotic spacecraft named MEV-1 is traveling some 22,000 miles above the Pacific Ocean in a geosynchronous orbit. A satellite at that location holds a fixed position over the equator because its speed matches that of Earth's rotation. At the moment, MEV-1, which stands for Mission Extension Vehicle-1, is in pursuit of its client, a $200 million satellite called IS-901. Intelsat owns and operates the satellite, which was launched 19 years ago. In December, IS-901 reached the end of its expected lifespan, and because it was low on fuel and unable to remain sta- tionary over the equator, Intelsat commanded onboard thrusters to push the satellite 185 miles farther from Earth, into the so-called "graveyard orbit," where geo spacecraft go to die. Such is the fate of satellites, Joe Anderson tells me. Anderson is vice president of SpaceLogistics, LLC, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary. "The vast majority of satellites are decommissioned primarily because they have run out of fuel," he says. Others in the graveyard orbit may have experienced tech- nical hiccups. Like a magic lamp releasing a genie, satellites must unfold various components after separating from their launch vehicles. But things can get stuck. "It might be a solar array or antenna that doesn't deploy correctly, and it simply needs a nudge," he says.
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