That is a nice goal, but as you noted, “remote presence technology is still only in its infancy” even on Earth.

Robert’s posting shows that there are now serious efforts at doing some of what you suggest. Because actual repair work in space is still difficult (Hubble and ISS work have demonstrated this), they are starting with a relatively easy task: refueling. We (or at least the Russians) already have automated docking figured out, so if a robot can dock with a satellite’s “gas cap,” then the satellite’s working life can be extended.

As mankind gains experience with space-based teleoperated or autonomous equipment, I’m sure that the companies that will soon do business in space will jump all over that technology as an inexpensive way of keeping the expensive space hardware operational.

Lockheed Martin already wants to put an unmanned space tug into orbit.

Meanwhile, humans are still figuring out how to live and work in space. Google has more hours on their self-driving cars than humans have being in space.

It isn’t as easy as you may think. Even the contestants for Google’s X-Prize are still on the ground, not on the moon, eight years later, and they don’t have to do fine-tuned repair work.