A 海角视频 company working on a way of mapping tiny bits of debris whizzing around the earth’s orbit – which can cause billions of pounds of damage to satellites – has made a breakthrough.
ODIN Space is working on a way to track space debris the size of a grain of sand which have the same energy as a bullet and can destroy a satellite instantly. Until now no technology has been able to monitor the threat.
Pieces bigger than 10cm can be tracked and avoided, but more than 99 per cent of debris is so small it is invisible to existing tracking technology.
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The so-called ‘space bullets’ pose the single greatest threat to space-based infrastructure and the problem is forecast to cost the space sector around $3 billion annually by 2030.
ODIN Space, which is based at Space Park Leicester, has now successfully demonstrated the operation of its technology in orbit after hitching a ride on Elon Musk’s recent SpaceX Transporter 8 mission.
Company founder and chief executive James New said: “It's been a nervous few weeks for us since the Transporter 8 launch, but we're excited to see our demo unit transmitting data.
“It's an amazing milestone in our short history and for the future of detailed mapping of orbits.
“By understanding how even the smallest debris behaves, we can provide satellite operators, orbital service providers, insurance companies and anyone involved in the sector, with the mission-critical situational awareness data they need for the success of their mission and the long-term operational safety of their assets and revenue. "
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The data captured by the demo unit marks an important step in creating vital information around the near-invisible bits of orbital debris.
It brings the company a step closer to producing its fully commercial sensor, capable of mapping debris between 1cm and 0.1mm, tracking its size and location.
It will also record the speed and trajectory of the debris – data that has never been captured before.
This information will enable ODIN Space to build dynamic models of how even the smallest pieces of debris are behaving and provide anyone operating in space no know where there might be danger.
Earlier this year, ODIN Space became a member of the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centre for the United Kingdom (ESA BIC 海角视频) programme at Space Park Leicester.
Space Park Leicester commercial manager Vinay Patel said: “We’re thrilled about the success of ODIN Space’s demo.
“With as many as 100,000 satellites and hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of space-based infrastructure expected to be in orbit by 2030, understanding how debris is behaving is crucial for satellite operators, orbital service providers and insurance companies.”
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Organisations which join ESA BIC (海角视频) receive a programme of technical support from the University of Leicester’s Space and Earth Observation scientists and business support from entrepreneurs in residence.
Entry to the programme is through a competitive tender process and the deadline for the next round of applications is September 18.
For more information, visit https://www.space-park.co.uk/innovation/esa-bic/