Rogue’s Orbital Robot, or “Orbot™”, is designed for rapid-response logistical missions, all the way up to GEO

LACONIA, NH, December 03, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ — Rogue Space Systems Corporation announces its recent award through SpaceWERX – the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force and a unique division within AFWERX – for the development of its extensible “Orbot™” (short for orbital robot) platform. The contract is valued at $1.25M and will go towards developing the Orbot™ spacecraft which will serve as the work-horse for Rogue’s vision of “economic neighborhoods in space” by providing a wide spectrum of logistical services to support “in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing” (ISAM) missions.

ISAM is set to play a pivotal role in the future of human space activities, providing critical services like satellite repairs, refueling and even manufacturing. Such missions will further expand and solidify a vibrant, sustainable space economy for the whole world. To achieve such a vision, the space industry will need to make it economically viable to observe, manipulate, and create objects in space.

That is why Orbot™ is specially designed for utility.

It features standardized interfaces for mission-specific attachments that can be easily swapped and installed. Thus, Orbot™ can be simply reconfigured to engage in everything from physical interaction with other objects, debris clean-up, conducting inspections and even servicing other satellites. This extensibility makes Orbot™ uniquely suited for mass production, able to be adapted and deployed on short-notice.

“Our Orbot space vehicle features an extensible platform that allows rapid integration of mission-specific payloads. This enables us to rapidly configure and deploy a variety of Orbot-based missions,” says Rogue’s Chief Space Architect, Barbara Plante.

For mobility, Orbot ™ is designed to utilize a mono-prop thruster systems that features a high Delta-V system for large orbital changes and a “6 DOF RCS” system for precision maneuvering. This combination will maximize Orbot’s versatility and fuel consumption. By further equipping Orbot with refueling capabilities, Rogue has developed a versatile tool built to last over an exceptional lifespan.

At the heart of Orbot’s™ hardware is Rogue’s Edge Computing Scalable Compute Platform (SCP), which will power a collection of algorithms that enable RPO and logistic abilities. This includes ASTRA, Rogue’s Autonomous Guidance and Rendezvous Software, as well as SAMRIC Software for in-situ RSO characterization . This combination of awareness and autonomy gives Orbot™ the ability to assess and interact with its environment even in the absence of operator commands.

Orbot™ stands alone as the first all-purpose utility spacecraft.

Rogue Chief Executive Officer Jon Beam states “Our extensible Orbot infrastructure will be an essential part of the last-mile logistics workforce in space, finally enabling a circular space economy.”

This award is another success story for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) initiatives. The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the SBIR/STTR process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal-to-award timelines. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded. Rogue’s progress is a testament to the effectiveness of this approach.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

About Rogue Space Systems Corporation
Rogue Space Systems Corporation specializes in enabling the industrialization of space by offering supportive in-space logistics services. This is achieved by providing economic destinations and last-mile logistics. Our Waypoint™ stations serve as multi-tenant platforms that host manufacturing, science experiments, communications, computing, and materiel logistics capabilities. Our Orbots™ serve as a robotic workforce, enabling the flow of raw materials and finished goods that enable a dynamic economy in space. Our Orblock™ payload containers allow for efficient transfer of both complex payloads and materiel. In partnership with launch and downmass companies, we make a circular economy and dynamic operations in space possible.

About SpaceWERX
As the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force and a unique division within AFWERX, SpaceWERX inspires and empowers collaboration with innovators to accelerate capabilities and shape our future in space. Headquartered in Los Angeles, SpaceWERX employs 40 military, civilian and contractor personnel executing an annual $457 million budget. Additionally, SpaceWERX partners with Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office (COMSO) as a collaborative program. Since it was aligned under AFRL in Aug. 2021, SpaceWERX has executed 1106 contracts worth more than $897 million to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit spacewerx.us.

About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.

About AFWERX
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 325 military, civilian and contractor personnel at six hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed 4,697 new contracts worth more than $2.6 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: afwerx.com.

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