SAN FRANCISCO – Kayhan Space and Morpheus Space announced a strategic partnership Nov. 15 to offer satellite operators a “one-click” collision-avoidance service.
The service, which combines Kayhan’s space traffic management software with Morpheus’ pay-as-you-go propulsion service, “will bring a new capability for the industry and help make space safe again,” Morpheus CEO Daniel Bock told SpaceNews.
Kayhan’s cloud-based collision-avoidance software service, Kayhan Pathfinder Pro, provides conjunction assessments and recommends collision-avoidance maneuvers.
Morpheus, a Germany company, offers propulsion as a service through Gateway, a web application designed to streamline satellite operations.
Satellite operators who rely on Morpheus propulsion, for example, can raise or maintain their satellite orbits through the platform, which is linked with their onboard electric propulsion. Instead of paying upfront for their anticipated propulsion needs, including maneuvers recommended by Kayhan, customers can purchase propulsion when it’s needed in orbit.
“The core focus of our partnership with Kayhan Space is lowering the risk and cost barriers to safe space operations by making smart maneuverability and collision-avoidance capabilities simple and seamless to use as part of our on-demand and subscription-based mobility solutions,” Bock said in a statement.
With the product Morpheus and Kayhan have developed together, “customers will see potential collision events in the interactive platform,” Araz Feyzi, co-founder and chief technology officer of Lafayette, Colo.-based Kayhan, told SpaceNews. “You will see Kayhan notifications and get direct access to Kayhan course-of-action avoidance maneuvers. The product has all the information that it requires to perform the right maneuvers.”
Customers will have the option to put spacecraft on autopilot, enabling them to perform collision-avoidance maneuvers autonomously. Customers also can select manual operations, meaning the mission controller would review recommended maneuvers and select the ones to be performed.
“Some of the largest satellite operators” in low-Earth orbit are working with Morpheus and Kayhan on “development of the intelligent propulsion offering,” according to the Nov. 15 news release. The unnamed constellation operators plan to begin deploying the service “aboard satellite missions beginning in early 2023,” the release added.
Feyzi said in a statement, “The integration of Kayhan’s Pathfinder Pro spaceflight safety platform with the Morpheus mobility-as-a-service allows us to accelerate our ability to make these powerful and intelligent in-space mobility capabilities available to everyone in space. This collaborative solution is in direct response to requests from leading satellite operators, who will be among the first to contract for safe in-space mobility.”
