Katalyst Space Technologies and Luxembourg-based LMO have announced a joint mission to demonstrate “assisted rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO)”, a new spacecraft docking architecture that aims to reduce operational complexity and costs.
The demonstration will integrate existing flight-proven technologies in a new configuration. A single orbit transfer vehicle (OTV) will house both a hosted payload and a deployable payload. The deployable payload, or freeflyer, will collect close-range imagery of the docking target, while the hosted payload collects range data from a secondary vantage point. By fusing this data and applying LMO’s flight-proven software based on machine learning algorithms, the mission will demonstrate the ability to dock spacecraft without the need for LIDAR or a robotic servicer.
According to Katalyst CEO Ghonhee Lee, the effort represents an essential first step toward more advanced in-space operations: “We’re going to see more complex operations in space. That’s going to start with docking spacecraft together more often and it’s going to evolve into applications like in-space manufacturing or mining on the moon.”
The architecture, created by Katalyst, is called assisted RPO because the hosted payload on the OTV assists the free flyer. As a result, the free flyer design can rely on lower-cost, widely available sensors. While the hosted payload features higher-performance sensors, this assembly can be reused across multiple missions, reducing total cost of ownership and operation.
Recognizing the potential of this concept, U.S. Space Command and AFWERX selected Katalyst as the winner of the Sustained Space Maneuver (SSM) Challenge. Earlier this year, Katalyst was awarded a $1.9 million contract to develop and prototype the assisted RPO system.
According to USSPACECOM, “Current space assets were not designed nor are they flexible enough to address today’s threats effectively.” Spacewerx created SSM to fund concept development and rapid prototyping of technologies because “to counteract these challenges, it is vital to strategically relocate and sustain our assets to deter our adversaries.”
“Spacecraft docking has many useful applications, but due to the complexity and the cost, most applications are rarely operationalized. This architecture has the potential to dramatically change those economics,” explains Lee. “The mission will produce real data that validates the architecture, which will pave the way toward implementing this docking mechanism on an operational scale.”
The SSM contract will allow Katalyst to develop the architecture, while the LMO partnership will provide an opportunity for the company to quickly demonstrate its capabilities in space. The collaboration is expected to mark the first in-space demonstration of machine learning-based vision and pose estimation capabilities in geostationary orbit (GEO).
“We are excited to demonstrate in GEO LMO’s VISION & SPECTRE edge-processing capabilities, which are designed to enhance Space Situational Awareness and In-Orbit Servicing,” says Michel Poucet, CEO of LMO. Katalyst and LMO expect to launch the demo mission within the next twelve months:
“By leveraging commercial partnerships like this one, we are accelerating the deployment of advanced capabilities to address national security needs,” adds Lee.
“This mission underscores the growing need to leverage commercial innovations to support national defense efforts in space. The partnership between LMO and Katalyst also highlights the strength of Luxembourg’s technology in supporting critical U.S. defense and space initiatives,” says Poucet.
About LMO
LMO is a space technology company based in Luxembourg and the UK. It specializes in edge-processed payloads for In-Orbit Servicing and Space Situational Awareness. LMO supports space agencies and defense missions through innovation and international collaboration.
About Katalyst Space Technologies
Katalyst upgrades on-orbit satellites with new hardware, including sensors and other systems, via in-space servicing. The company offers modular hardware and software products for space domain awareness (SDA) and in-orbit mission extension.
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Source/Photo Credit: Katalyst Space Technologies
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