Starfish Space and Impulse Space demonstrate autonomous spacecraft proximity operations

WASHINGTON — Two space companies have collaborated to demonstrate automated close approaches between spacecraft using a single camera as the primary sensor.

Starfish Space and Impulse Space announced Dec. 15 the successful completion of what they called the Remora mission. During the mission, a Mira spacecraft from Impulse’s LEO Express 2 mission maneuvered to within about 1,250 meters of another Mira spacecraft from the company’s LEO Express 1 mission, using a camera and onboard computing system provided by Starfish.

What distinguished the demonstration from previous rendezvous and proximity operations, or RPO, tests was that the approaching Mira relied on only a single camera to close in on the other spacecraft. The camera fed images into a computer running Starfish’s CETACEAN and CEPHALOPOD software, which generated navigation data and maneuver commands for the LEO Express 2 vehicle.

“Our industry has traditionally relied on more complex hardware” for RPO activities, said Trevor Bennett, co-founder of Starfish Space, in an interview. That typically includes advanced cameras and additional sensors such as lidar. By contrast, Remora used an off-the-shelf camera developed by TRL11 for spaceflight applications.

“I think we were able to show that off-the-shelf cameras are sufficient, that we don’t need a bunch of extra hardware to do some of these types of missions,” he said.

The images were processed by Starfish’s software to determine the relative position of the two spacecraft and calculate the maneuvers needed to close the distance. “Every action that we take is irreversible because we have consumed propellant on orbit, so we have to make meaningful decisions along the way,” Bennett said.

Maneuvering the LEO Express 2 spacecraft to within about 1,250 meters met the mission’s objectives. “Our intention was to get to around the kilometer mark,” Bennett said. “The core pieces that we needed to demonstrate were all proven by that roughly 1,200-meter close approach.”

The Remora mission was arranged quickly. Starfish approached Impulse about a year before the launch of LEO Express 2 in January.

“RPO is a core capability needed across a wide range of commercial and defense applications,” said Eric Romo, president and chief operating officer of Impulse Space. “They were ready with their technology, and we were excited about the opportunity to demonstrate it.”

The RPO demonstration took place after LEO Express 2 completed its primary missions for other customers. The spacecraft maneuvered into the general vicinity of LEO Express 1, after which Starfish took operational control to conduct the close approach. The companies said the activity occurred in the fall but did not provide a more specific timeline.

Both companies described the mission as a success. “This was a great proof point that we can take in signals from external sensors and guide Mira with them,” Romo said. “This opens up a number of different opportunities.”

Bennett said the technology could support even closer approaches. “I would argue the closest distance could potentially be zero, all the way to docking,” he said, with the addition of one or more cameras. “That’s still very much within the core thesis of using visual cameras.”

Remora was a one-time demonstration, although Romo said Impulse would be open to future collaborations with Starfish. He added that the mission also highlighted the maneuverability of the Mira spacecraft. “This is a key unlock for different use cases in space,” he said.

For Starfish, the test helps validate software that will be used in future missions. The company is currently operating Otter Pup 2, launched earlier this year, which is expected to attempt a docking with another spacecraft. That will demonstrate capabilities for its Otter line of servicing vehicles.

“Having shown this in a more complex environment, like a LEO demonstration vehicle, using the software in GEO and other orbits becomes a natural next step,” Bennett said.

While Starfish is focused on developing its Otter spacecraft, Bennett said the company could offer its software suite to other operators. “We’ve shown we could fly on virtually any vehicle that would come to us,” he said.

Bennett said that, with Remora, he hoped to show that the complexities of RPO could be handled without the need of a complex sensor suite, comparing it to how people navigate. “We rely heavily on our eyes, and it’s not unrealistic to think spacecraft can do the same now, given what we’ve shown,” he said.