Astroscale has a 22-kilogram small satellite slated to launch on a Soyuz rocket through Russian company Glavkosmos in 2018 from either the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan or Russia’s new Vostochny Cosmodrome in the country’s far east. That satellite, called “Idea OSG-1,” is for monitoring sub-millimeter-sized debris. Astroscale estimates roughly 750,000 debris objects greater than one centimeter in diameter orbit the Earth today.
...The company’s two satellites, Idea OSG-1 to monitor debris and ELSA-d to demonstrate de-orbit procedures, are scheduled to launch in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Idea OSG-1 is manifested on a Glavkosmos Soyuz. Investors have backed Astroscale’s vision to the tune of $53 million, showing meaningful confidence in the four-year-old company’s ability to clean up literally and financially...
“This is an exciting time for Astroscale and marks a significant milestone for the company, its employees and future customers who will all benefit from the opportunities this expansion presents,” said Nobu Okada, Founder and CEO. “The United States has been active in addressing issues related to space traffic management and the mitigation of orbital debris. An office in the United States will allow us to work closely with policy makers and business leaders to devise a sustainable solution for this global issue.”
What's the business case for a debris removal company? Who's going to be paying them to do it? How will that bring continual revenue?
Quote from: Davidthefat on 04/16/2019 12:27 amWhat's the business case for a debris removal company? Who's going to be paying them to do it? How will that bring continual revenue? Well, the near-term part of their market isn't exactly what you might think of when you hear the term "debris removal". Basically, their initial market is providing backup disposal services for the LEO megaconstellations like OneWeb, SpaceX, Telesat, Boeing and now Amazon's Kuiper. If even a fraction of those satellites get built, and unless they are way more reliable than the original Iridium constellation, they're going to need towing services. My startup Altius is also going after this market.
Quote from: jongoff on 04/16/2019 03:18 amQuote from: Davidthefat on 04/16/2019 12:27 amWhat's the business case for a debris removal company? Who's going to be paying them to do it? How will that bring continual revenue? Well, the near-term part of their market isn't exactly what you might think of when you hear the term "debris removal". Basically, their initial market is providing backup disposal services for the LEO megaconstellations like OneWeb, SpaceX, Telesat, Boeing and now Amazon's Kuiper. If even a fraction of those satellites get built, and unless they are way more reliable than the original Iridium constellation, they're going to need towing services. My startup Altius is also going after this market.Speaking of the Iridium reliability, do you know of a good summary of the on-orbit lifetime and failure rate of the original constellation? I know they had a bunch of failures, but those satellites have been up there 20+ years now. Some of the new constellations are planning shorter lifetimes and lower initial deployment altitudes, so there might not be as big a market for this service as an extrapolation from Iridium would indicate.
Quote from: envy887 on 04/16/2019 12:44 pmQuote from: jongoff on 04/16/2019 03:18 amQuote from: Davidthefat on 04/16/2019 12:27 amWhat's the business case for a debris removal company? Who's going to be paying them to do it? How will that bring continual revenue? Well, the near-term part of their market isn't exactly what you might think of when you hear the term "debris removal". Basically, their initial market is providing backup disposal services for the LEO megaconstellations like OneWeb, SpaceX, Telesat, Boeing and now Amazon's Kuiper. If even a fraction of those satellites get built, and unless they are way more reliable than the original Iridium constellation, they're going to need towing services. My startup Altius is also going after this market.Speaking of the Iridium reliability, do you know of a good summary of the on-orbit lifetime and failure rate of the original constellation? I know they had a bunch of failures, but those satellites have been up there 20+ years now. Some of the new constellations are planning shorter lifetimes and lower initial deployment altitudes, so there might not be as big a market for this service as an extrapolation from Iridium would indicate.I did a preliminary analysis from open-source information a while ago -- http://www.altius-space.com/scaf-2017-presentation-open-source-analysis-iridium-failures-implications-big-leo-constellations/And I spoke with the CEO of Iridium within the past 6-9 months, and he said that 35 of the original 95 failed in a way that wouldn't deorbit within 25yrs. But I don't have an exact breakdown of when in the lifespan of the constellation they failed. AIUI, a lot failed pretty early on, then a slower steadier pace after that.The important thing to remember though is that while they went for 21yrs, the original plan was to replace them after 7yrs (not much different from most of the other LEO megaconstellations). There are reasons why 2nd generation constellations get delayed, and they tend to happen to almost everyone doing constellations. The first gen takes longer to build and launch, costs more than expected, customer uptake is slower than expected, you get a recession at some point in the process, etc. I'll be really impressed if the first batch of megaconstellations replaces their satellites within 50% of their expected lifetimes. So many of the same pressure you saw with Iridium are likely to exist for them as well.Anyhow, I'm not too worried about there not being a market for deorbit services. I'm more worried about if we can get supply available to meet the demand.~Jon
Thanks for the link. It would be interesting to see some more detail on the design for reliability of the big LEO constellation sats, e.g. to they have triple redundancy on everything required for deorbit?
On the other hand, it might be cheaper to add a grappling fixture that simplifies grabbing an uncontrolled sat, and just buy a deorbit service later, than to make everything triply redundant.
Quote from: envy887 on 04/17/2019 01:48 pmThanks for the link. It would be interesting to see some more detail on the design for reliability of the big LEO constellation sats, e.g. to they have triple redundancy on everything required for deorbit? I highly doubt it. Maybe dual redundancy on a few critical items. But think about it. With SEP propulsion a deorbit maneuver takes 6-9 months for the higher altitude guys. How much of the spacecraft has to stay functional during that time for the maneuver to be successful?
I kinda felt a passive drag/resistance mode electrodynamic tether tape, rolled up like a party blower horn, with a sublimating gas capsule to deploy the tether tape, would be pretty reliable and simple as an end of mission type device. If you could rig the sublimation capsule somehow with a watchdog timer set for like 6 months or so, if the main sat internals die you can reasonably expect the drag tether to deploy. If the sat starts tumbling hard, the tether might also get flung out and deploy.
Astroscale’s ELSA-d Successfully Demonstrates Repeated Magnetic CapturePosted August 25th, 2021Posted in NewsTokyo, Japan, Aug. 26, 2021 – Astroscale’s End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) successfully tested its ability to capture its client spacecraft using the servicer’s magnetic capture system, in a demonstration performed on Wednesday, August 25 (UTC).A major challenge of debris removal, and on-orbit servicing in general, is docking with or capturing a client object; this test demonstration served as a successful validation of ELSA-d’s ability to dock with a client, such as a defunct satellite.When ELSA-d was launched and commissioned, a mechanical locking mechanism held its servicer and client spacecraft together. The first step of this demonstration was to unlock this mechanism. Once unlocked, the magnetic capture system alone held the client to the servicer, preparing ELSA-d to repeatedly capture and release the client in future demonstrations.The client was then separated from the servicer for the first time and captured to validate the magnetic capture system. During the release and capture period, Astroscale’s Mission Operations and Ground Segment teams checked out and calibrated the rendezvous sensors and verified relevant ground system infrastructure and operational procedures. The successful completion of this phase paves the way for the remainder of Astroscale’s pioneering demonstrations of space debris removal. The Engineering and Mission Control teams are now preparing for “capture without tumbling,” where the client will be separated to a greater distance, and the method of rendezvous and docking will rely on a combination of on-board autonomous software and advanced ground processing of telemetry and commands. This demonstration is expected to be completed in the coming months and will be followed by the “capture with tumbling” phase, in which the client will simulate an uncontrolled, tumbling space object. “The final capture demonstration will be “diagnosis and client search,” in which the servicer will inspect the client, withdraw to simulate a far-range search, then approach and recapture the client.” “This has been a fantastic first step in validating all the key technologies for rendezvous and proximity operations and capture in space,” said Nobu Okada, Founder & CEO of Astroscale. “We are proud to have proven our magnetic capture capabilities and excited to drive on-orbit servicing forward with ELSA-d.”
Astroscale announced Nov. 25 that it raised $109 million from European and Japanese investors in a round it says will allow it to accelerate plans for active debris removal and satellite servicing.The Series F round, the largest to date raised by the Tokyo-based company, was led by Japan’s THE FUND Limited Partnership with participation from several other investors, including Seraphim Space Investment Trust in the United Kingdom and DNCA Invest Beyond Global Leaders, a sub-fund of Luxembourg-based DNCA Invest and managed by DNCA Finance in France.With this latest round, Astroscale has raised $300 million, providing the company with capital to move ahead on several initiatives for servicing satellites and removing debris. That includes its End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) mission, which demonstrated in August the ability to release and capture an object in orbit. Another demonstration of ELSA-d’s ability to capture a tumbling object is expected to take place before the end of the year.
Astroscale said Jan. 26 it has paused an attempt to autonomously capture an in-orbit satellite for the first time after detecting “anomalous spacecraft conditions.”The company’s 175-kilogram servicer spacecraft was preparing to make the attempt Jan. 25, after separating from a 17-kilogram client satellite acting as a piece of debris for a series of on-orbit demonstrations.While the servicer had successfully used its magnetic mechanism to release and recapture the client in an Aug. 25 test, this demonstration aimed to use autonomous capabilities for a larger-scale mission.However, Astroscale said the company detected an anomaly after the servicer began “autonomous relative navigation, maintaining a constant and safe distance from the client spacecraft over multiple orbits” as the company prepared for recapture.
Astroscale said Feb. 17 it is preparing to resume an attempt to capture a satellite acting as a piece of debris in low Earth orbit, after pausing the demonstration three weeks ago to troubleshoot undisclosed problems. The Japanese startup has started moving its 175-kilogram servicer spacecraft closer to the 17-kilogram client satellite ahead of deciding whether to restart the demonstration, Astroscale said in a social media post.According to Astroscale, it has made “good progress in working through solutions to the anomalous spacecraft conditions that we identified with ELSA-d,” or End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration.The company did not disclose the nature of the issue, when it could restart the mission or the distance between the two objects.
Astroscale plans to resume an attempt to capture a satellite acting as a piece of debris in low Earth orbit despite losing half the servicer’s eight thrusters.Most of the other issues that forced Astroscale to pause its End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) mission Jan. 26 have been mitigated or resolved, the Tokyo-based startup said in an April 6 news release.However, the company has been unable to fix ongoing technical issues affecting four “non-functional” 1-newton High Performance Green Propulsion (1N HPGP) thrusters.All eight thrusters were provided by Swedish propulsion specialist ECAPS, which is owned by U.S.-based Bradford Space.<snip>Astroscale said it would move the servicer to within 160 meters of the client “in the near future,” where it will seek to validate a low-power radio sensor needed to detect and track the servicer to operate more autonomously.“Success in this demonstration would be an important advancement for rendezvous and proximity operations, especially under more challenging circumstances than planned,” it said.The company then plans to move the servicer to a safe distance while it decides whether to go ahead with a recapture mission.
“These issues do not relate to and are not a result of the design or build of the thrusters and we have full confidence in our products.”
Astroscale said May 4 it made another close-approach rendezvous between its two ELSA-d spacecraft last month but ongoing thruster problems continue to hold up a capture demonstration delayed from January.Astroscale’s ELSA-d servicer spacecraft, a 175-kilogram satellite designed to demonstrate orbital debris removal technologies, lost the use of four of its eight 1-newton thrusters in January.Despite the setback, Astroscale successfully commanded ELSA-d’s servicer craft to close within about 159 meters of the much smaller client satellite on April 7 from a starting distance of 1,700 kilometers.The rendezvous put the 17-kilogram client craft within range of the servicer’s low power radio (LPR) sensors, enabling it to take over navigational controls from the ground, Astroscale chief technology officer Mike Lindsay told SpaceNews.Lindsay said the successful hand-off to the servicer’s onboard sensors was a significant technical achievement — and not one Astroscale had planned to test before ELSA-d’s propulsion problems prompted the team to rethink the mission.
Quote“These issues do not relate to and are not a result of the design or build of the thrusters and we have full confidence in our products.”If there's nothing wrong with the design and implementation of the thrusters themselves according to the engine manufacturer, then does that mean an install issue? Or a tankage plumbing issue, if the tankage is not the purview of the engine maker?
In a May 4 news release describing the April 7 rendezvous operation, Astroscale said a “system issue” was to blame for the loss of three thrusters but “the root cause for the loss of the fourth thruster is not clear and is under joint investigation by Astroscale and Bradford/ECAPS.”
Yusaku Maezawa, the first private citizen to visit the International Space Station, has become one of our main investors! We are looking forward to our partnership. @yousuck2020
📺 👀 We're on Japanese TV!An Astroscale commercial about space debris will be featured on a popular children's channel, Kids Station (@kids_station). Enjoy!
Need a Lift? Astroscale and Momentus Team to Offer NASA a Commercial Solution to Reboost Hubble and Deliver Additional In-Space ServicingReboost would extend the life of this iconic 33-year-old, billion-dollar space telescope and build on its successful heritage of countless scientific discoveries and in-space servicingMay 09, 2023 07:57 AM Eastern Daylight TimeSAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Astroscale U.S. Inc., the market leader in securing long-term orbital sustainability across all orbits and Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), a U.S. commercial space company that offers orbital transportation and in-space infrastructure services, are collaborating to offer NASA a sustainable solution for its Hubble Reboost efforts.QuoteEven at 33, Hubble is fully capable of continuing its mission; where it is aging is in its orbital stability. I am thrilled that we collaborated to offer NASA a very cost-effective way to continue to operate this billion-dollar scientific investment by leveraging new robotic in-space servicing technology.The two companies recently responded to NASA’s Hubble Reboost RFI in a joint proposal. The mission’s objectives include safe relocation of Hubble and removal of nearby threatening debris from the celebrated space telescope’s new orbit.“Leveraging Momentus’ flight heritage with three orbital service vehicles on-orbit today and Astroscale’s expertise in RPOD (rendezvous, proximity operations and docking), we found our product suites to be synergistic in support of a major NASA mission,” said John Rood, Momentus Chief Executive Officer. “Even at 33, Hubble is fully capable of continuing its mission; where it is aging is in its orbital stability. I am thrilled that we collaborated to offer NASA a very cost-effective way to continue to operate this billion-dollar scientific investment by leveraging new robotic in-space servicing technology.”The proposed mission concept, a commercial solution to extend the life of this important national asset without risk to humans, includes launching a Momentus Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle (OSV) to low-Earth orbit on a small launch vehicle. Once on orbit, Astroscale’s RPOD technology built into the OSV would be used to safely rendezvous, approach and then complete a robotic capture of the telescope. Once mated, the OSV would perform a series of maneuvers to raise the Hubble by 50 km. Removal of surrounding and threatening space debris in Hubble’s new orbit using the Vigoride and Astroscale’s RPOD capabilities will be prioritized after the completion of the primary reboost mission.“The Hubble’s need for a reboost should be an important wake-up call as to why the space industry needs dynamic and responsive in-space infrastructure, and in this case, to extend opportunities to explore our universe,” said Ron Lopez, President and Managing Director of Astroscale U.S. “The proliferation of in-space servicing and assembly allows us to reimagine how our investments are managed in space; it is the foundation on which the new space age is being built. What we’ve proposed to NASA are options—options that were not available during the five previous crewed servicing missions and that leverage the best of in-space servicing to achieve mission objectives and advance U.S. leadership in space.”About Astroscale U.S.Astroscale U.S. Inc. provides on-orbit services and logistics across all orbits for commercial operators, the U.S. government and partner governments around the world. Astroscale U.S. is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astroscale Holdings Inc., the first private company with a vision to secure the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations, and the only company solely dedicated to on-orbit services across all orbits. Astroscale Israel Ltd., based in Tel Aviv, is a subsidiary of and serves as the research and payload development team for Astroscale U.S. Astroscale U.S. leverages the best of investments and developments made by Astroscale engineering, policy and business teams domestically and in Japan, the United Kingdom and Israel to provide flexibility and value for space operations in the U.S. and partner nations.About MomentusMomentus is a U.S. commercial space company that offers in-space infrastructure services, including in-space transportation, hosted payloads and in-orbit services. Momentus believes it can make new ways of operating in space possible with its planned in-space transfer and service vehicles that will be powered by an innovative water plasma-based propulsion system.
Even at 33, Hubble is fully capable of continuing its mission; where it is aging is in its orbital stability. I am thrilled that we collaborated to offer NASA a very cost-effective way to continue to operate this billion-dollar scientific investment by leveraging new robotic in-space servicing technology.
Looks like Jared Issacman has got some competition!
