As a proving ground for our calculations, the MK1 Laelaps spacecraft will establish communication with ground stations and measure thrust variations on the way to a target orbit. Once the MK1 spacecraft demonstrates it can reach the target orbit, it will rendezvous with a planned piece of nearby orbital debris. The selected piece will have no known anomalous properties, but is likely to be spinning in some axis or combination of axes. In this case, KMI will utilize TumblEye to characterize the object, allowing Laelaps to match the rotation of the debris, and retrieve the debris with REACCH. Our mission with MK1 is to collect two or more pieces, dependent on the debris location and maneuvering efficiency. Future designs will improve on the lessons learned and data developed from the demonstration flight of the first Laelaps craft.
Read the Laelaps Capability Statement.
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To complete the ADR mission, KMI has to securely interface with debris, despite most objects being uncontrolled and unprepared for capture. REACCH is an exclusive mechanically articulated end effector with a novel combination of previously-validated technologies in electrostatic and gecko adhesion to enable soft and secure capture of objects in space. REACCH is capable of non-destructively securing and selectively releasing objects of nearly any shape, size, or surface condition, making it extremely ubiquitous in capturing a wide variety of orbital debris objects.
Read the REACCH Capability Statement.
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Retrieving orbital debris is difficult when the debris is spinning. In space, any spin remains constant as there is no air or other friction to slow it down. This presents a physics challenge when the captured object imparts that rotational energy through both the debris and spacecraft, potentially causing shear and thus more debris. This makes it vital to determine the rotation of debris before attempting to retrieve it. KMI accomplishes this through employing a proprietary machine-learning algorithm, TumblEye, that observes the target on approach, characterizing the missing values of standard detection, and determines rotation in each axis, enabling safe and secure interaction.
Read the TumblEye Capability Statement.
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Asteria is an innovative adhesive technology that allows the coupling of payloads to legacy and modern Resident Space Objects, enhancing ISAM capabilities, improving tracking, and facilitating deorbit needs. For persistent attachment, Asteria uses gecko adhesion to attach new payloads to unprepared RSO, enabling passive disposal, future interfacing or servicing, life extension, or adversarial defense. This technology allows for permanent attachment of modules to unprepared surfaces without requiring continuous power input or external support for this capability. This technology utilizes omnidirectional gecko adhesion to establish a viable method of permanent attachment to objects in space, on a wide range of compatible material and surface types, for a wide range of applications.
Read the Asteria Capability Statement.
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Developed in collaboration with Privateer, Fresnel (frā-'nel) is a debris removal marketplace. Utilizing Privateer’s Wayfinder API, Fresnel allows for the selection of a piece of orbital debris and displays the cost for KMI to remove that item. KMI’s motivation behind the creation of Fresnel was to promote transparency and feasibility. Further development of Fresnel are under way, including the ability to select multiple objects for removal in one mission with an accordingly updated cost.
Read more about the Fresnel project.
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