Pentagon weighs commercial satellite disposal options with three vendors

Three companies—D-Orbit USA, Firefly Aerospace, and Katalyst Space Technologies—have been selected by the Defense Innovation Unit and the Space Development Agency to study commercial satellite disposal options under a ‘deorbit-as-a-service’ concept. The awards, with undisclosed value, fund preliminary design and risk reduction to evaluate approaches for rendezvous, capture and deorbit of aging or non-cooperative satellites in low-Earth orbit, with SDA/DIU assessing technical maturity, schedule and affordability before any full on-orbit demonstration. This continues SDA’s push to offer commercial disposal solutions and builds on earlier feasibility studies from 2024, including Starfish Space.