Innovation
US ramps up investment in space debris surveillance, deorbiting capabilities
Turion Space Corp. is set to develop satellites with advanced surveillance and grappling capabilities as part of a recent Space Force contract.
![The radiator and laser component of the Light-sheet Anomaly Resolution and Debris Observation (LARADO) instrument is staged for alignment in Washington, DC, last July 2. The LARADO instrument will create a fan of light through a dispersive optic to detect debris in space and increase the safety of manned and unmanned spacecraft. It is one of several innovations aimed at reducing the risks of space debris. [US Navy]](/gc8/images/2025/01/07/48716-240702-n-cz309-1014-370_237.webp)
By Stephanie Dwilson |
As space debris continues to pose risks to satellites and space missions, the US government is ramping up investments in cutting-edge technologies to track and remove these hazards.
US Space Force's Space Systems Command recently awarded a $32.6 million contract to Turion Space Corp. to develop satellites with advanced surveillance and grappling capabilities.
Under the contract, Turion plans to launch three satellites in 2026 and 2027 as part of a Space Force initiative to track and monitor space debris.
The satellites, which are equipped with real-time command and control, will be have "rendezvous proximity operations high-resolution satellite-to-satellite imagery collection capabilities," according to a Turion statement.
The latest award comes after Turion won a SpaceWERX contract in July to develop an autonomous docking and maneuvering system to deorbit inactive satellites.
The contracts represent just one part of Turion's ambitious vision to revolutionize space debris removal.
The company began its mission in June 2023 with the launch of Droid.001, a small satellite designed to capture high-resolution images that are now integrated into Space Force's Unified Data Library.
Turion is now tackling more-complex challenges, and hopes to one day launch a Droid satellite "mothership" that deploys micro-droid satellites equipped with grapplers. NASA provided funding for this goal in 2023.
Space debris efforts
"The space debris problem can be solved with a better understanding of where things are in the space domain so operational satellites can maneuver without regret to avoid collisions, and by removing large non-maneuverable objects," Turion Space CEO and Founder Ryan Westerdahl told Space News in July.
Turion's project is just one of many government-funded efforts to track and deorbit space debris.
One notable example is Space Debris Identification and Tracking (SINTRA), a program announced in August 2023 by Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity.
SINTRA's goal is to enhance surveillance of micro space debris. Four vendors were awarded contracts to develop the technology over a four-year initiative.
Meanwhile, in late August, the US Navy announced a successful test of its Light-sheet Anomaly Resolution and Debris Observation (LARADO) instrument.
LARADO is "a groundbreaking space-based instrument designed to detect and characterize lethal non-trackable orbital debris, using satellite and laser technology," the US Naval Research Laboratory said in a statement.
"These debris objects, ranging in size from a few centimeters to larger than a millimeter, are too small to track from the ground but pose a significant threat to operational satellites," the statement added.
LARADO's data will help update NASA's orbital debris models. If subsequent tests are successful, it will be launched on a Minotaur IV from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in September 2025.