GuardianSat received a grant from the National Science Foundation’s America‘s Seed Fund in Washington, DC, on October 12. The reward was meant to advance GuardianSat’s space debris protection technology.
Delaware-based GuardianSat Aerospace Corp. received a $273,000 Phase 1 Small Business Technology Transfer study contract and technical assistance. Qualified enterprises can receive $200 million from America’s Seed Fund annually.
Read More: Launch of NASA’s Psyche mission to the metal world
Sirius XM partnered with firm founder Robert Briskman. The company developed a patented satellite debris-blocking system.
GuardianSat chief scientist Huey Wyche noted, “Our patented solution is for high Earth-orbiting satellites.” “It will have a subsystem to track possible collision threats, identify orbital debris, and automatically alter the satellite’s trajectory to avoid mishaps.”
ID sensors for objects
Wyche says the Autonomous Satellite Orbital Debris Avoidance System identifies debris. It integrates with a satellite’s propulsion, communication, control, sensor, and tracking systems. It also helps spacecraft return to their starting points after avoiding trash and communicate object data with other satellites to improve space domain awareness.
GuardianSat CEO Christopher Rohe said the NSF award “will enable us to advance the development of our space domain awareness and avoidance systems.” “We are eager to move forward and keep developing innovative and revolutionary ways to maintain space.”
Briskman and Rohe founded GuardianSat in 2020.
Wyche says GuardianSat identified orbiting objects using a “multi-spectral approach”. Spectral fluctuations allow multispectral sensors to distinguish objects. He said, “This capability is valuable for differentiating between space debris, defunct spacecraft, and active satellites.”
Wyche claims GuardianSat is utilizing the technique to avoid debris as part of their “countermeasure system against satellites.” It detects incoming objects using lidar technology.
Share this content: