On Monday, February 24, 2020, at about 9 p.m. U.S. Eastern time, a robotic spacecraft named MEV-1 is traveling some 22,000 miles above the Pacific Ocean in a geosynchronous orbit. A satellite at that location holds a fixed position over the equator because its speed matches that of Earth’s rotation. At the moment, MEV-1, which stands for Mission Extension Vehicle-1, is in pursuit of its client, a $200 million satellite called IS-901.
Intelsat owns and operates the satellite, which was launched 19 years ago. In December, IS-901 reached the end of its expected lifespan, and because it was low on fuel and unable to remain stationary over the equator, Intelsat commanded onboard thrusters to push the satellite 185 miles farther from Earth, into the so-called “graveyard orbit,” where geo spacecraft…