Dextre, the International Space Station's Robotic Handyman

Dextre

Banner of Dextre

Launch: March 11, 2008
Status: Active

The most sophisticated space robot ever built, Dextre is a space handyman with a mission: keep the International Space Station (ISS) ship-shape. Dextre's role is to perform maintenance work and repairs like changing batteries and replacing cameras outside the ISS. Having Dextre on call will reduce the amount of risky spacewalks to do routine chores, thus giving astronauts more time for science, the main goal of the ISS. Dextre's special skills and awesome location also offer a unique and opportune testing ground for new robotics concepts like servicing satellites in space.

Dextre can ride on the end of Canadarm2 to move from worksite to worksite, or simply hitch a ride on the Mobile Base.

Dextre changes a pump on the International Space Station

2015-03-06 - This computer-generated animation shows Dextre removing a failed ammonia pump, picking up a fresh spare, moving the latter to a location where spacewalkers can easily access it for installation at a later time, and then parking the failed pump where it is out of the way. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

Dextre lets CATS out of the bag on the Space Station

2015-01-21 - This animation shows how Dextre, the Canadian-built robotic handyman on board the International Space Station, removes the CATS (Cloud Aerosol Transport System) science experiment from SpaceX's Dragon. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency) More information about CATS