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Private mission launches to extend life of out-of-gas communication satellites
Summary by The San Antonio Editorial Desk · Based on reporting by Marcia Dunn, Associated Press , KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate)
· July 21, 2026
· 3 min read
A two-armed space robot blasted off on a private salvage operation Tuesday to slap life-extending jetpacks on old satellites running low on fuel thousands of miles up. It’s the second satellite-saving mission to launch this month, all part of a growing, money-saving effort to keep spacecraft runn...
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The San Antonio Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Original reporting Marcia Dunn, Associated Press, KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate) Original story Read at the source Source published Jul 21, 2026 Indexed here Jul 21, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key takeaway Launched by SpaceX, Northrop Grumman’s mission robotic vehicle — dubbed MRV — and its jetpacks will spend the next year angling into the proper orbit 22,300 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth.
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About this story
Original reporting by KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate) . The San Antonio surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate) . Have a tip or correction? Contact our newsroom .
Category: local ·
Published: July 21, 2026 ·
Source: KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate) ·
Reading time: 3 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? A two-armed space robot blasted off on a private salvage operation Tuesday to slap life-extending jetpacks on old satellites running low on fuel thousands of miles up. It’s the second satellite-saving mission to launch this month, all part of a growing, money-saving effort to keep spacecraft runn...
When was this published? This article was first published on July 21, 2026 by KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate) and curated for The San Antonio readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Marcia Dunn, Associated Press at KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate). To learn more about how The San Antonio selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more local coverage from The San Antonio, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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