Vyoma, a Munich-based company specializing in automated satellite operations, is starting a 14-month collaborative project with the European Space Agency (ESA) aimed at enhancing space safety operations.
This initiative, conducted within the framework of ESA’s Competitiveness Element in the Space Safety Programme, hopes to mark a significant step forward in ensuring safer space operations.
The primary objective of the project is to evaluate the company’s Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre (CAM) recommendation service in accordance with the stringent requirements and quality standards set by ESA.
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The collaboration
As part of the collaboration, ESA is providing Vyoma access to the Conjunction Data Messages and CAM solutions from up to five of its Earth Explorer missions.
This access enables the company to closely observe ESA’s collision avoidance operations and validate its own manoeuvre solutions, taking into account various operational constraints such as propulsion type, delta-v consumption, eclipses, and regional anomalies.
“This collaboration presents a great opportunity for Vyoma to benefit from the extensive experience of ESA engineers. Our objective is to make accurate space situational awareness data and advanced space safety services readily available to satellite operators, including ourselves,” said Dr. Stefan Frey, CEO of Vyoma.
On the other hand, Tim Flohrer, Head of ESA’s Space Debris Office and ESA’s Technical Officer for the project, highlighted the significance of Vyoma’s technology in advancing space safety applications.
“The competitiveness segment in ESA’s Space Safety Programme aims at developing the space safety market and at exploiting commercialization dimensions. Vyoma has developed a market-ready technology that is very relevant for space safety applications, and we are very much looking forward to working with the team for the agreed evaluation of their service.”
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A company dedicated to space traffic
Vyoma’s Space Safety services cater to the specific needs of satellite operators, offering a comprehensive suite of solutions.
In addition to providing collision warnings through an intuitive interface, the company enables users to analyze the geometry and evolution of conjunctions, predict ground-station passes for communication windows, conduct on-demand tracking campaigns, plan optimal avoidance manoeuvres, and assess trajectories against the entire background population.
Founded in August 2020, the company has quickly established itself as a leader in the field of automated satellite operations. Leveraging both ground-based and upcoming space-based data, the company facilitates real-time space traffic management in congested orbits around Earth.
By providing safe and automated satellite operations services, the company significantly reduces mission costs for its customers, catering to operators, reinsurers, and space agencies alike.
Participating in EU Commission and ESA programs for SDA technology development, the company boasts a specialized workforce comprising over 30 engineers and scientists dedicated to driving innovation in the space traffic management industry.
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