Katalyst Space has won a major new contract from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) as the U.S. Government looks to tap into the latest deorbiting technologies. Katalyst Space will now play a key role in the DIU’s Deorbit-as-a-Service program, and will now support the operational needs of the Space Development Agency (SDA). Katalyst Space announced the deal, Aug. 14.
As the SDA fields increasingly large operational satellite constellations, it will require new tools to manage spacecraft throughout their lifecycles. Those tools include deployment, inspection, maneuvering, life extension, anomaly response, and end-of-life disposal.
The Deorbit-as-a-Service program is structured as a two-phase effort. During Phase I, Katalyst will mature the mission design through Preliminary Design Review. Phase II would advance the program to flight implementation using Katalyst’s NEXUS robotic spacecraft to rendezvous with, capture, and deorbit SDA satellites that were not originally designed for servicing.
Katalyst aims to address the economics around deorbiting missions by making deorbiting one of the services provided by its standardized, multi-mission robotic spacecraft. NEXUS combines robotics, autonomous rendezvous and capture, propulsion, and spacecraft control within a common technical architecture that can be deployed across government and commercial missions. A single NEXUS vehicle can be configured to conduct multiple service operations, including capturing and deorbiting more than one satellite, or to perform different mission types during its operational life. This, in theory, changes the economics and makes such missions more justifiable.
“Rendezvous and proximity operations and robotic satellite servicing are foundational for the future of space operations. These capabilities give government operators new options to strengthen the resilience and flexibility of space architectures. Through this effort we want to move these capabilities beyond one-off demonstrations and toward repeatable operational services,” Ghonhee Lee, CEO, Katalyst Space, said in a statement.
