Robot model
Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV)
GEO life-extension servicer that autonomously rendezvouses with and docks to a client satellite's apogee-engine ring, then provides station-keeping and…
- Manufacturer
- Northrop Grumman SpaceLogistics
- Form factor
- space
- Maturity
- commercial
- Lifecycle
- active
- Deployments
- 2
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Track Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) on Deploy.
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Key facts
Focus
Robot
Scale
Backers
Parent company
Product
Notable
Service life
Specs
Role
Autonomy
Data & sources
Web sources
2
2 sources backing this record.View all →
Pricing
No verified price is on record for Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV). Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.
Deployments (2)
MEV-2 autonomously docked with the active Intelsat 10-02 satellite at its operational GEO slot on 2021-04-12, marking the first docking of an active satellite in its working orbit, and is providing life-extension…
MEV-1 autonomously docked with Intelsat 901 on 2020-02-25 approximately 300 km above GEO, the first commercial GEO docking, then ferried the satellite back to its operational slot for roughly 5 years before undocking on…
Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) on the deployment map
Where Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 6, 2026
Northrop Grumman MEV-2 rendezvous and docking
- Record createdJun 5, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedApr 12, 2021
at Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedFeb 25, 2020
at Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
Deployment-verified media (1)
Northrop Grumman footage of its Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-2) rendezvousing and docking with the Intelsat 10-02 satellite in geostationary orbit. A success: MEV-1 docked Intelsat-901 (2020) and MEV-2 docked Intelsat 10-02 (2021), the first commercial geostationary dockings, extending satellite life by taking over station-keeping.
From deployment: Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
Safety record
No incidents on record for Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV).
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Sources (2)
Common questions
- What is Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV)?
- GEO life-extension servicer that autonomously rendezvouses with and docks to a client satellite's apogee-engine ring, then provides station-keeping and attitude control.
- How much does Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) cost?
- Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV)'s price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) from Northrop Grumman SpaceLogistics. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
- Is Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) actually deployed in the real world?
- Yes. Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
- Who makes Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV)?
- Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) is made by Northrop Grumman SpaceLogistics, based in Dulles, VA, USA.
- Where is Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) deployed?
- 2 verified deployments of Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) are on the DEPLOY registry, including at Geostationary Orbit (GEO).
- Can you buy Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV)?
- Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
- What are alternatives to Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV)?
- On the DEPLOY registry, comparable space robots to Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) include Chang'e Lander, Mira, W-Series Capsule, Astrobee.
- How does Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) compare to Chang'e Lander?
- Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) and Chang'e Lander (China National Space Administration · 4 deployments) are both space robots on the DEPLOY registry. Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) has 2 verified deployments on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
- Is Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) a top space?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) ranks in roughly the top 49% of space models tracked by the registry.
- What is Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV)'s maturity stage?
- Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) is at the commercial stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Commercial stage means production-grade deployments are operating at named customer sites.
- Is Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) safe?
- Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-12
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Maturity + lifecycle
Maturity stage: commercial
Lifecycle: active
Architectural position
Cohort: space
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV).Recent coverage
Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) in third-party press
Northrop Grumman achieves key milestone for next-generation robotic satellite servicing vehicle - spaceconnectonline.com.au
Satellite Services in Space: Extending Life in Orbit - Northrop Grumman
From Mars to Maintenance: The Expanding Role of Vision Systems in Space - MVPro Media
Attention vs reality over time
Media mentions per month (area) against verified deployment events (dots). A press spike over a flat deployment line is the hype gap, drawn over time.
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Northrop Grumman achieves key milestone for next-generation robotic satellite servicing vehicle - spaceconnectonline.com.au
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Satellite Services in Space: Extending Life in Orbit - Northrop Grumman
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From Mars to Maintenance: The Expanding Role of Vision Systems in Space - MVPro Media
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Satellites Will Push and Shove in Orbit, and Northrop Grumman Has a Hand in It - autoevolution
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US Naval Research Laboratory Delivers Robotic Payload to Northrop Grumman for MRV - Via Satellite
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Mission Extension Vehicle - Wikipedia
The Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) is a spacecraft that extends the functional lifetime of another spacecraft through on-orbit satellite servicing, the first commercial satellite…
Intelsat To Sustainably Extend Life of Four Satellites By 2027 - SpaceNews
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SpaceLogistics sees potential defense market for orbital life-extension spacecraft - Breaking Defense
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Northrop Grumman to launch new satellite-servicing robot aimed at commercial and government market - SpaceNews
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SpaceLogistics Sat Servicing Mission Taps New Markets - Breaking Defense
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DARPA In Talks With New Robot Sat Servicing Company - Breaking Defense
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Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /models/mission-extension-vehicle.md
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/models/5d944b99-0d1e-4b84-b3f3-7c9b30231a79
- Revision history: /models/mission-extension-vehicle/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Reality vs attention
Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) draws attention at the 34th percentile but verifies reality at the 76th percentile among space robots. Hype Gap -41.7, 26th widest among space robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Limited independent press and video coverage to date.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 21, 2026