Debris
Stories about the problems posed by trash in orbit, and initiatives from both governments and industry to clean it up.
Neuraspace, Arcsec Team Up On Debris Tracking
Growing clutter around Earth has the potential to make satellite operations unsafe—but these two European companies think their tech can maintain order in orbit.
Payload Pioneers 2023: Neil Buchanan
Neil Buchanan wasted no time after completing his Master’s thesis on in-space manufacturing to jump in and get hands-on.
Payload Pioneers 2023: Kevin Stadnyk
The founder of the world’s only dedicated rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) software company is aiming to fix the debris problem in Earth’s orbit.
Payload Pioneers 2023: Joanna Hon
When Joanna Hon was growing up in Canada, working in the space industry seemed like just a fantasy. Now, the 27-year old director of R&D at Turion Space says she is working to inspire others to chase their seemingly-impossible goals as well.
Payload Pioneers 2023: Adam Kall
Adam Kall cofounded Kall Morris, Inc. in 2019 at the age of 23 because he knew the old way of cleaning up space wouldn’t cut it.
FCC Fines Dish Over Satellite Left In Orbit
The FCC has enforced consequences for the first time on a company that failed to stick to its deorbit plan, the agency announced yesterday.
FAA Proposes Upper Stage Disposal Rule for Debris Mitigation
The FAA is trying to hold commercial launchers in the US to a higher standard to prevent debris creation.
Kayhan Space Closes $7M Seed Extension, Updates Pathfinder
Kayhan Space raised a $7M seed extension ahead of the release of Pathfinder 3.0, an update to the free version of its space traffic coordination software, the company announced this morning.
Exclusive: Turion Space Wins Six NASA and USAF Contracts
Turion is announcing a slew of wins in its efforts to design, build, and deploy its on-orbit mobility and debris removal infrastructure. The Irvine, CA-based space sustainability startup has notched six recent contracts from NASA, the Space Force, and the Air Force, each supporting a different area of its product stack. “We’re trying to grow…
Benchmark Clinches $33M, Launches Autopilot for Satellites
Benchmark Space Systems, the Burlington, VT-based propulsion systems provider, is keeping busy. This week, the company announced a $33M Series B funding round, unveiled new digs, and debuted a brand-new satellite autopilot product called SmartAIM. Benchmark’s Series B Benchmark announced this morning that it’s closed a $33M Series B to speed up the process of…
IARPA Launches Space Debris Tracking Initiative
IARPA, aka the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, is getting its feet wet in space awareness. The advanced R&D arm under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced Tuesday that it is launching a new program called SINTRA (Space Debris Identification and Tracking) to find, track, and characterize the millions of tiny pieces…
Astroscale, Wind River Team To Clean Up in Orbit
Astroscale’s space vacuum is getting a boost. The company is partnering with space software startup Wind River to provide the on-board computer for ELSA-M, a mission to remove multiple pieces of debris from orbit, according to a joint announcement Wednesday. “Our ELSA-M service strives to solve satellite operators’ end-of-life disposal challenges,” Stephen Wokes, director of…
