Venture capitalist GP Bullhound that there are 8,000 satellites in orbit today, increasing to 100,000 within ten years. Aldoria the current number at 9,000 and foresees 40,000 by 2030. Additionally, the European Space Agency--back in 2022-- 30,000 pieces of space debris.
It seems all but certain that the number of satellites and pieces of debris in space are going to skyrocket, which creates the context for Aldoria, a Toulouse-based startup whose mission is to map and localise space objects across various orbits as accurately as possible. In (announcing €10m in series A funding), the startup reports that, in 2023 alone, it generated 230,000 measurements on 5,000 objects and anticipated 30m “close approaches” between space objects.
For three months, starting 1 March 2024, the French startup will run a project with SES. Specifically, it will offer its conjunction alert service--an advanced set of tools that help operators track their satellites--to identify potential collision risks. The service generates real-time alerts via conjunction data messages (CDM), which contain crucial information such as the estimated moment of near-impact, the relative position and velocity of the objects, and the associated probability of collision.
The agreement was signed as part of the first Space Debris Conference, held in Saudi Arabia on 11-12 February 2024.
“With this agreement, we are in a good position to maintain our track record of setting the benchmark for European SSA services, delivering a competitive solution tailored to the market,” said Aldoria CEO Romain Lucken in a press statement. “We are happy to explore the potential for future collaboration.”
“Through our previous collaboration, Aldoria has provided innovative solutions enabling us to meet evolving challenges,” added Davide Menzi, project manager and flight dynamics engineer at SES. “We are looking forward to embarking on this new project with Aldoria and working together in the coming months.”
Aldoria developed its optical system in 2017, which garnered attention for its wide field of view and ability to track a large number of small objects, including stealth satellites. The startup currently runs six ground stations but plans to double that number by 2025, enabling improvements in its tracking capabilities.
This article in Paperjam. It has been translated and edited for Delano.