WASHINGTON — True Anomaly, a startup based in Denver, will install Redwire’s navigation and sensing cameras on two inspector satellites it plans to launch next year.

True Anomaly developed a small satellite named Jackal, designed to chase down uncooperative objects and take pictures up close. 

The first two are scheduled to launch to low Earth orbit in early 2024 on the SpaceX Transporter-10 rideshare.  True Anomaly plans to market these vehicles to the U.S. government. 

Even Rogers, CEO of True Anomaly, said Aug. 8 that the company selected Redwire’s SpectraCam and SpectraTrac cameras for the Jackal vehicles.

Rogers made the announcement at the Small Satellite Conference in Logan, Utah.

Each Jackal will have one SpectraCam for docking, navigation, inspection, and situational awareness; and two SpectraTrac star trackers. 

“The star trackers will work in concert with the cameras to provide spacecraft navigation and detection of objects of interest,” said Dean Bellamy, Redwire’s executive vice president for national security space.

“The SpectraTrac algorithms were modified to allow True Anomaly to utilize the star trackers for space domain awareness applications,” he said.

The SpectraCam has custom optics designed in partnership between True Anomaly and Redwire.

“We look forward to continued engineering collaboration between Redwire and True Anomaly on future efforts,” Rogers said.

Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology and the industry that supports this sector. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIA’s National Defense...