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The Canadian Space Agency’s “Dextre,” the robotic handyman on board the International Space Station, made history over the weekend by successfully refuelling a mock satellite outside of the station.

The refuelling mission — a collaboration between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency for their experimental Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) — was a pivotal demonstration for robots’ ability to refuel satellites in space, extending their service lifetime.

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Since 2011, Dextre, a two-armed mechanical robot not far removed from “Star Wars” R2-D2 has successfully performed three tests on satellites that weren’t built to be repaired in space.

From the Canadian Space Agency:

RRM is a significant step in pioneering robotic technologies and techniques in the field of satellite servicing-saving ailing space hardware by refueling or refurbishing them before they become space debris. The ability to refuel satellites in space could one day save satellite operators from the significant costs of building and launching new replacement satellites. With over 1100 active satellites currently operating in the near-Earth environment (many of them worth hundreds of millions of dollars), and an additional 2500 inactive satellites still orbiting around our planet, the savings could be substantial.