Phobos Relay Servicing Demo

Visitors to the Stickney depot watch a Polaris Relay Tender capture a Mars relay with its robotic arms, swap a failed module and top up its xenon tanks.

Oksana Hrytsenko explains the tender's ion drive and its 1.4 tonnes per 100 AU economy. Hana Park shows the before-and-after data quality from the serviced satellite. The demonstration takes about three hours. Commentary from mission control explains each step, from the slow approach and capture to the final health check before release.

Satellite operators can schedule follow-up meetings about servicing contracts, which typically cost a fraction of building a replacement relay. The Polaris itself is a 118 Mc ship flown by two pilots with a crew of seven.

For satellite operators, engineers and open-data users. Seating in the depot gallery is limited, so registration is required, and a live stream will be available for those on the Martian surface.