Plan to Deorbit Old Satellites Gains Steam with New Deals

US spacecraft to clear dead satellites from 3 major Earth orbits

Dead satellites drifting around Earth could soon receive a controlled push out of orbit. Firefly Aerospace has secured a contract from the US Department of War’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Space Development Agency (SDA) to develop a preliminary design for a satellite deorbiting mission. Announced on August 13, the project will use Firefly’s Elytra orbital vehicle to approach, examine, and remove spacecraft nearing the end of their operati…

Plan to Deorbit Old Satellites Gains Steam with New Deals

The Space Force wants contractors to sweep decommissioned satellites out of orbit when their useful lives are over, and it’s signed up three companies to advance its Deorbit-as-a-Service project: Firefly Aerospace, Katalyst Space, and D-Orbit. The Space Development Agency and the Defense Innovation Unit announced the contracts for this growing niche market Aug. 14. Historically, satellite operators would fly spacecraft into “graveyard orbits” w…