Fig. 1: Image of the Solar Maximum Mission satellite, first repaired on orbit in 1984 by astronauts James van Hoften and George Nelson during a Space Shuttle servicing mission. | npj Space Exploration

Fig. 1: Image of the Solar Maximum Mission satellite, first repaired on orbit in 1984 by astronauts James van Hoften and George Nelson during a Space Shuttle servicing mission.

From: On-orbit servicing as a future accelerator for small satellites

Fig. 1: Image of the Solar Maximum Mission satellite, first repaired on orbit in 1984 by astronauts James van Hoften and George Nelson during a Space Shuttle servicing mission.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

The operation restored SMM’s instruments and demonstrated complex rendezvous and hands-on servicing techniques that established confidence and methods later adopted by robotic and commercial on-orbit servicing efforts. Credit: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA-MSFC).

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