The Pentagon has awarded three companies contracts to design spacecraft that can capture and safely remove dead satellites from orbit, expanding a push to make orbital cleanup available as an on-demand government service. D-Orbit, Firefly Aerospace and Katalyst Space will develop preliminary designs under the Defense Innovation Unit and Space Development Agency’s Deorbit-as-a-Service project, Breaking Defense reported.
The program targets a prototype spacecraft and the start of deorbiting services in 2028. The planned service would address obsolete or failed satellites that remain in orbit after their missions end, without requiring the government to own and operate a dedicated mission spacecraft.
The initial awards total $8.4 million and cover preliminary designs due by the end of the year. Each contract includes options for additional work. D-Orbit has said its own agreement could reach $24 million, but the agencies have not yet selected a design for an orbital demonstration.
DIU and SDA will assess the companies’ technical maturity, mission approach, schedule and affordability before deciding which solution proceeds to a full on-orbit demonstration. The evaluation will determine which proposed system advances to that stage and whether it can support the project’s planned service model.
The effort is aimed at low Earth orbit, where growing government and commercial constellations are increasing the number of spacecraft operating in the same broad region. The Pentagon’s solicitation identified satellites that suffer anomalies or reach the end of their missions as continuing hazards that can constrain maneuvering space, raise collision risks and reduce the resilience of satellite networks. Many small satellites in proliferated constellations have operational lifespans of about five years.
The proposed spacecraft would be designed to rendezvous with satellites that were not built specifically for servicing. Depending on the vehicle and mission, a system could capture a spacecraft, move it, provide refueling or repair, or support other in-space logistics tasks. Those functions would allow the government to obtain orbital transportation and logistics capabilities through a managed-service arrangement rather than owning the mission spacecraft used to perform each task.
Katalyst Space has described its NEXUS vehicle as capable of multiple mission types. D-Orbit has identified refueling, repair, inspection and satellite repositioning as potential government missions. Firefly says its Elytra vehicles are intended to deorbit satellites of different sizes and configurations.
The same capabilities have a military-use dimension. A vehicle that can approach, capture and move an unprepared satellite could potentially shift a target into an orbit where it no longer performs its mission, disable it or destroy it. The stated purpose of the new awards is to reduce orbital debris, but the technology could also support counterspace missions.
U.S. defense officials have cited China’s SJ-21 as an example of that concern. In 2022, the Chinese spacecraft moved a defunct Chinese satellite from geosynchronous Earth orbit to a graveyard orbit. Officials have described SJ-21 as a potential space weapon because of its ability to maneuver another satellite.
The contracts give DIU and SDA three proposed approaches to compare before choosing whether one will proceed to an on-orbit demonstration. If a design is selected and the later work is completed, the project is intended to begin deorbiting services in 2028, with the initial mission focused on removing expired or malfunctioning satellites from low Earth orbit.