There are only a handful of countries that have any presence in space, or have the ability to conduct their own launches, and fewer have the ability to refuel their satellites while they are still up there. China has now joined that list of precious few countries that have managed to refuel their satellites in space. The Chinese haven’t detailed the process but say that it’s not too unlike refueling a plane mid-air.
China’s Tianyuan-1 system has successfully refueled at least one of the country’s satellites. Now that it’s topped up the satellite should be able to stay up there for a while longer, it would also be able to make adjustments that would have previously been impractical.
Refueling satellites to keep them up there longer does make sense as it ends up saving a considerable amount of resources. Countries can save a substantial amount of money by simply refueling their satellites because they will be able to reduce the number of vehicles they need to deploy in order to maintain their satellite presence in space.
This process will also slow down the proliferation of dead satellites and go a long way in reducing debris in the orbit. Ultimately the goal is to develop technologies that eliminate the need for fuel completely, but before that happens, the reliance on refueling efforts will need to be increased.
Filed in . Read more about China and Space. Source: en.people.cn