Robotic arm

Eutelsat-172B is equipped with a pair of 3 m-long three-jointed arms carrying electric propulsion thrusters at the end. Instead of thrusters embedded at the corners of the satellite, these twin arms can be moved freely about its body so their thrusts can always be aligned precisely with the satellite’s centre of gravity for orbit raising and stationkeeping – saving propellant to elongate mission life.