Mobile maintenance platform in low Earth orbit. 插畫檔

This orbital maintenance platform (OMP) is the artists conception of a possible solution for providing manned access to Earth-orbiting satellites for maintenance and repair. 45 feet tall with maximum diameter of 18 feet, this self-propelled and reusable spacecraft is composed of two basic parts: a 28-foot-long lower component in the style of an International Space Station (ISS) module containing a robotic arm and other tools for satellite maintenance and multi-thruster propulsion system, and an upper 12 x 12 foot pressurized component that includes a windowed cupola for manned operation of the maintenance tools. The pressurized component also includes hatches for extra-vehicular activities (EVA) should astronauts need to work outside the OMP. This orbital maintenance platform could provide manned access to low-Earth orbiting satellites formerly provided by the now-retired Space Shuttle, and to higher orbiting satellites that have been out of reach to the Space Shuttle.