NASA Robot-Piloted Test Craft Is Launched
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A NASA robotic spacecraft equipped with navigational computers and sensors was launched Friday to rendezvous with a Pentagon satellite without the help of human controllers.
If the $110-million mission is successful, it could lay the groundwork for the robotic delivery of cargo to space shuttles and automated docking and repair between spacecraft in orbit.
The DART spacecraft -- short for Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology -- will attempt several tasks during its 24-hour mission, including maneuvering around the satellite, making close approaches and moving away.
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