The Pentagon has selected three companies to design spacecraft capable of capturing and safely removing satellites that have reached the end of their operational lives. The initiative seeks to establish commercial, on-demand deorbiting services as low Earth orbit becomes increasingly crowded and hazardous.
Three companies compete to provide deorbiting services
D-Orbit, Firefly Aerospace and Katalyst Space have received contracts from the Defense Innovation Unit and the Space Development Agency to produce preliminary designs and eventually demonstrate the ability to rendezvous with, capture and move non-operational satellites.
The initial contracts are worth a combined $8.4 million and cover the delivery of preliminary designs by the end of the year. Each agreement includes options for additional work. D-Orbit said its contract could eventually reach a total value of $24 million.
The two US agencies will evaluate each proposal according to its technological maturity, mission concept, implementation schedule and affordability. A final decision will determine which solution advances to a full on-orbit demonstration.
First operational mission could begin in 2028
The long-term goal of the Deorbit-as-a-Service program is to launch a prototype spacecraft and begin offering deorbiting services in 2028.
The proposed model would give the US government on-demand access to in-space transportation and logistics without the expense and lengthy timelines associated with owning and operating a dedicated mission spacecraft.
Instead of relying exclusively on government-owned infrastructure, authorities could purchase commercial services for:
- capturing non-operational satellites;
- transferring them to disposal orbits;
- refueling active spacecraft;
- inspecting and repairing satellites;
- repositioning spacecraft as mission requirements change.
Low Earth orbit is becoming increasingly congested
The initiative comes as the number of satellites operating in low Earth orbit continues to rise. Governments and private companies are deploying large constellations for communications, internet connectivity, Earth observation and missile warning or tracking.
Many of these networks consist of hundreds or thousands of small, relatively inexpensive satellites with operational lifetimes of approximately five years. Once they fail or complete their missions, they can remain in orbit and become hazards to other spacecraft.
Satellite failures and the accumulation of retired platforms reduce available maneuvering space, increase the risk of collisions and undermine the resilience of space-based missions.
The same technology could also serve military purposes
Spacecraft capable of approaching, capturing and moving satellites could be used for maintenance and logistics missions as well as hostile operations.
A vehicle with these capabilities could move a satellite to an orbit where it can no longer perform its mission, disable it or destroy it. For that reason, US officials have repeatedly described China’s SJ-21 spacecraft as a potential threat.
In 2022, SJ-21 towed a defunct Chinese satellite from geosynchronous orbit to a designated graveyard orbit. The operation demonstrated that such technologies could also have antisatellite applications.
Pentagon seeks to expand the commercial supplier base
The new awards are part of an effort to broaden the pool of commercial companies capable of providing deorbiting services. In January, the Space Development Agency awarded Starfish Space a $52.5 million contract to use its Otter spacecraft.
The vehicle is intended to safely dispose of expired satellites belonging to the future Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a network designed to support communications, data relay and missile warning and tracking. The company said it expects to launch the spacecraft next year.
Each company is pursuing a different operating concept
Although the three companies are taking different approaches, all are designing spacecraft capable of reaching satellites that were not originally built to support docking, servicing or maintenance operations.
Katalyst Space is developing the NEXUS spacecraft, which is intended to perform multiple types of missions. The Colorado-based company already holds a NASA contract to raise the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory into a higher orbit.
D-Orbit plans to use a successful demonstration to pursue additional low Earth orbit logistics missions, including satellite refueling, repair, inspection and repositioning.
Firefly Aerospace is developing its Elytra vehicles, which the company says will be capable of deorbiting satellites with widely varying sizes and configurations. The platforms are intended to help reduce the growing threat posed by orbital debris.
