Rogue Space Systems Corporation and Dawn Aerospace have signed a cooperation agreement where Rogue has selected Dawn Aerospace as their partner for spacecraft propulsion systems. The first project in their partnership is a 6-axis Reaction Control System (RCS) for their Laura, Charlie, Fred and Bob Orbot™ spacecraft programs. The resulting spacecraft(s) will include demonstration programs and missions as well as the deployment of Rogue's Orbots™ destined to reside in LEO, MEO, GEO and Cislunar.
Established in 2020, Rogue Space is building a fleet of Orbital Robots (Orbots™) equipped with highly sophisticated sensors, cameras, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) software to enable up-close inspections and assistance of satellite operator's assets in space. The company recently announced a partnership with NanoAvionics for systems integration and engineering of their Orbots™.
"Here at Rogue, our team is working to define a dynamic and adaptive spacecraft architecture that will serve as a foundation to the services infrastructure we aim to build in space. From the beginning, Dawn has understood our goals and joined us in this challenging endeavor," adds Rogue Space CEO, Jeromy Grimmett.
"Rogue's fleet of Orbital Robots is planned to range from 12U to large propulsive ESPA-ring satellites. We have a solution designed to grow as they grow, and we're excited the team has chosen Dawn as their spacecraft propulsion partner, said Joshua Rea, Business Development at Dawn Aerospace. "We're starting with RCS, but this is just one of the modules within our extensible propulsion architecture. It's part of a common system that can be configured to any mission or satellite size Rogue needs."
In-space propulsion systems are equipped with thrusters (small rocket motors) that form part of the satellite itself. They allow satellites to maneuver in space after their initial boost onto orbit. Thrusters serve several functions; they can perform corrective maneuvers if a satellite has been delivered to an incorrect orbit, they can orientate a satellite, can be used for collision avoidance, and can carry a satellite further afield, for example, to a higher orbit or on a mission to the moon or another planet.
In December of 2020, Rogue entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement ("CRADA") with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate, Geospace Technologies Division. The CRADA focuses on research areas of combined sensing and propulsion capabilities, as well as enabling the examination of Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) components to determine their feasibility for future space applications on a proliferated architecture.