My name is Mathieu Caron
and I'm the Supervisor for the Canadian Space Agency Mission Controllers.
The Robotics Refuelling Mission, or RRM for short,
is a demonstration that will enable us to see just how far we can push robotics servicing on orbit.
As we have seen with Dextre over the last four years,
robotics systems can be used to repair the International Space Station.
One thing to note, though, is that the components on the International Space Station
were designed to be repaired by robots.
They have certain features that make it easy for robots
and their operators to interact with those components,
to remove them and replace them with new units.
Unfortunately, that's not the case for most of the satellites that we'll find on orbit.
Satellites were designed for a single use
and they were not designed to be refuelled or repaired by robots on orbit.
In fact, people have tried to make it as difficult as possible to unscrew the various caps and wires
in order to make sure that nothing gets loose during launch.
So the point of the RRM module was to demonstrate that robotics systems
would be able to interact with components that were themselves not designed
to be handled robotically and would be able to safely and complete refuelling
and repair missions to those robots.
So, to that effect, NASA put together the Robotics Refuelling Mission Module,
which was launched on the very last shuttle mission.
The RRM module is located outside on the space station
and the point is to provide Dextre with four additional tools
that will allow Dextre's hands to be able to interface with the various caps,
wires and surfaces it will encounter on the Robotics Refuelling Module
in order to demonstrate that a robot such as Dextre could do a refuelling mission
on a real life satellite.
Over the first few missions that we've completed so far with Dextre,
we've been able to demonstrate that Dextre could safely unscrew various caps
and cut retaining wires that will allow us to eventually show that it could refuel a satellite.
We needed to go to proceed very methodically in order to demonstrate that Dextre
could perform these tasks which were beyond its initial design — so we thought.
So now in the next week of operations,
what Dextre will do is that it will take all of the tasks it has accomplished so far
and integrate them into a full-blown simulated refuelling of a satellite.
So the Canadarm2 will move Dextre to the vicinity of the RRM module
and then it will retrieve the required tools in order to unscrew several caps
and cut the wires holding these caps into place
before it goes to get a robotically-compatible nozzle tool
that will be connected to the fuel valve that's been uncovered by Dextre
and NASA controllers will then pump simulated fuel to really demonstrate that
one day we'll be able to send robots to satellites and refuel them on orbit.
This mission is particularly important because it demonstrates us
– it demonstrates to us that robotics systems can be used in order to repair and refuel satellites.
It shows us that we can use the International Space Station as a testbed
to further our understanding of robotics
and how they can be used to help further space exploration.
So we've seen with the space station that robotics systems such as Dextre
could be used in order to improve the safety of life onboard the Space Station
because having Dextre perform robotic maintenance allows the astronauts
to remain within the relative security of the International Space Station modules.
Well, for satellites right now, if you look at servicing missions for satellites,
astronauts, for instance, had to go to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
Fortunately, the Hubble Space Telescope was equipped with grapple fixtures
that allowed the first Canadarm to grab onto it and bring it to the shuttle payload bay.
Most satellites, however, were not designed in order to be refuelled in orbit.
In fact, the designers of satellites tried to make it as difficult as possible to remove the caps
that would allow us to refuel them because they don't want these various components
to come apart or come loose during the launch of the satellites.
So, as a result, we have to use robots in order to perform those tasks,
cut wires, unscrew caps that were not designed to be handled robotically.
In fact, they're making – it's very difficult for an operator – operator to do so.
The advantage though is that if you demonstrate
that you could send robots to repair or refuel satellites, then you could prolong those lives.
So you can have a high return of investment for various satellites.
Not only that but once a satellite have expended its fuel, once one of its component has failed,
essentially when it becomes just a useless piece of machinery on orbit,
it also represents a danger to the other satellites, the useful satellites on orbit.
So, for that reason, it's particularly important
to prolong the life of the satellites as much as we can.
And before we can try to do these little ambitious missions for real life satellites
then we need to demonstrate that the robotics technology is mature enough
that we can attempt those – those endeavours.
And so far we're quite proud to say that Dextre has been up to the task
for everything we've thrown its way.