Patent ID: 8464983

Claim:
A towing apparatus for a spacecraft that may be potentially towed when in orbit, the towing apparatus comprising: a cable, the first end of which is permanently connected to the spacecraft, and the second end of which is at least temporarily connectable to a towing spacecraft for the purpose of towing; an attachment piece disposed on the second end of the cable, the attachment piece is mechanically attachable to a complementary attachment piece of the towing spacecraft; a positioning aid disposed on the cable to allow for detection of the attachment piece by the towing spacecraft; a cable receiver that stores the cable; and a release device configured to issue an actuation signal to the cable receiver when both: (i) an approach of the towing spacecraft is detected and (ii) a malfunction of the spacecraft containing the towing apparatus is detected, wherein the cable receiver is configured to extend the cable for attachment to the complementary attachment piece of the towing spacecraft in order to tow the spacecraft containing the towing apparatus.