There are countless satellites, long deactivated, orbiting the Earth in what amounts to a giant cemetery in the sky. DARPA's Phoenix program sees these piles of junk not as refuse, but as a resource just waiting to be harvested. The plan is to re-engineer existing technology, like robots used in remote surgery and advanced imaging systems found in off-shore drilling platforms, for the harsh environment of space. The resulting orbiter would operate on the deceased (with the owners approval, of course), salvaging what it could and stitching them together to create new functional satellites.
Engadget, DARPA's Dr. Fankenllite could plunder space graves, create orbital abominations (video)
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