The goal of the DARPA Phoenix project is to develop and demonstrate technologies to cooperatively harvest and reuse valuable components from retired, non-working satellites in GEO and demonstrate the ability to create new space systems at greatly reduced cost. Phoenix seeks to demonstrate around-the-clock, globally persistent communication capability for warfighters more economically by robotically removing and reusing GEO-based space apertures and antennas from decommissioned satellites in the graveyard or disposal orbit.The Phoenix project relies on innovations in three principal technical pillars to accomplish this challenging mission scenario. These pillars include a Servicer/Tender spacecraft with sufficient fuel and robotic dexterity to effect satellite-to-satellite operations; aggregatable cellularized spacecraft building blocks termed satlets; and a Payload Orbital Delivery (POD) system to bring new tools and satlets to the Servicer/Tender. Phase 1, a 14-month effort that began in June 2012, is exploring innovative design concepts and system trade spaces for each of the novel technologies to balance innovation with realistic development. A series of engineering tests are underway to evaluate the various challenges that Phoenix may encounter on orbit, including electromagnetic interference (EMI) and static discharge, flexible mode and stiffness issues, contact dynamics with both very large and small objects via a robotic arm, and latency effects associated with tele-operations control. This paper will present progress on hardware prototypes and systems analysis, as well as initial test and demonstration results.In parallel with the technology design and development work, a number of significant open international meetings have been held to facilitate discussions of the influence that policy, legal and regulatory issues have on satellite-to-satellite interaction. This paper will also provide a précis of the various external environmental issues affecting the Phoenix program and servicing in general, especially as they pertain to setting up a sustainable ecosystem for long-term satellite servicing.

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The Ranger Telerobotic Shuttle Experiment is a Space Shuttle based flight experiment to demonstrate on-orbit telerobotic servicing technologies. Ranger will perform a number of activities varying from simple to complex. A task board for calibration and evaluation of basic robotic operations will be the focus of early operations. Extraction and insertion of a robot compatible orbit replaceable unit (ORU) representative of International Space Station ORUs will be performed. As a science focus, numerous repetitions of this task will be executed using different operators, time delays, operator environments, and control station configurations. Demonstration tasks will include change out of a Hubble Space Telescope style ORU and setup of a complex Articulating Portable Foot Restraint. The project is preparing for a launch opportunity in early 2002. The progress of the hardware and software for the flight vehicle and a neutral buoyancy simulator will be discussed as well as the plan for demonstrating the tasks on-orbit and rehearsing them on the ground in a neutral buoyancy environment.