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Space debris has reached a dangerous level, putting the lives of astronauts and the operational safety of satellites at unprecedented risk. There are an estimated 9,000 metric tonnes of space debris in orbit and over 99% of this debris are smaller than one metre in size with no current solution on the market to remove them. Paladin Space will revolutionise the In-Orbit Servicing industry (valued at over $14 billion by 2030) by creating the world’s first reusable space debris removal satellite that can target several small pieces of debris in a single mission. Using containers to capture and eject the debris, the removal satellite can be restocked during orbit with additional empty containers to enable multiple missions to remove the most dangerous space junk, making space safer for everyone. This technology is a significant advancement on current methods of debris removal which currently only remove a single piece of large debris by sacrificing their satellite in the process. The European Space Agency is currently paying over €103 million for a mission to remove one item, so it is time to imagine the value of removing hundreds.
The Reusable Extractor of Debris (RED) uses a patented process to capture debris within a container, with an in-built system that prevents the contents from escaping when additional pieces of debris are captured. Once the container is full, it will be ejected into a controlled descent via onboard propulsion and control systems until it safely burns up in Earth’s atmosphere. Using a clever array of sensors and in-built autonomy, the RED satellite will be able to repeat this process with new containers to capture and remove as many items as possible in various highly congested orbits. In preparation for the future of in-orbit servicing and to align with Paladin Space’s vision of sustainability, the RED satellite is designed to be repairable and refuellable in space. Not only will this be a cost-effective and efficient solution, but it will most importantly allow RED to continue making Earth’s orbit safer for us to use.
The entire space ecosystem will benefit from space debris removal, and as such, the target market for Paladin Space is worldwide governmental space agencies looking to reduce the risk of collisions with operational spacecraft and astronauts, and the private industry to provide safer orbits for their satellites. In the future, mandates for governments to remove space debris will open a large emerging target market, as well as the introduction of recycling centres in space that will require space debris as a source of reusable material.
Paladin Space is seeking collaboration with governmental space agencies, universities, and funding organisations to pave the way for a demonstrator mission. In the interim, Paladin has engaged with a major space sensor supplier who has expressed their desire to model our debris removal missions in their software to provide the necessary onboard sensor suite solution.
09 February 2022
Space companies from as far as India and Germany will make their way to South Australia, to be part of the state’s coveted Venture Catalyst Space Program.
Founder and CEO
Technical Advisor
Mission Design Lead
(08) 8302 7368
The Venture Catalyst Space program is Australia's first incubator program for startups in the space sector.
