Some objects are dangerous enough that avoiding them is not sufficient — they have to leave orbit. Orbit Clearance identifies which derelict rocket bodies and dead satellites contribute most to future collision risk, and prepares the autonomy needed to approach, capture and de-orbit them safely.
- Risk-ranked catalogue of removal candidates
- Spin-state and tumble modelling of non-cooperative targets
- Autonomous rendezvous, hold and abort planning
- Capture simulation and disposal-trajectory design
Risk-based target selection
Every candidate is scored by mass, altitude, orbital lifetime, encounter rate with active spacecraft and the number of fragments a break-up would create. The ranking shows which single removal buys the most long-term safety, rather than which object is easiest to reach.
Attitude and tumble characterisation
Radar signatures, light curves and close-approach imagery are combined into a spin-state model of the target. Knowing the tumble rate and axis is the precondition for any safe capture, and our estimators track how it evolves over months.
Rendezvous and proximity autonomy
Approach corridors, hold points and abort trajectories are computed for a non-cooperative target with no docking aids. On-board vision-based navigation keeps the servicer within a defined safety ellipsoid and triggers an autonomous retreat when the target behaves unexpectedly.
Capture and disposal
Capture concepts — robotic arm, net, harpoon or magnetic docking — are simulated against the specific target geometry, followed by a controlled de-orbit burn or a transfer into a graveyard orbit, with the resulting footprint screened by Re-entry Control.
Regulatory alignment
Removal operations touch liability, registration and non-interference rules. The programme documents every phase so that operators, insurers and authorities can follow the decision chain.