Benchmark to keep popular orbits safer with collision avoidance kit

With the most popular, revenue-generating orbits increasingly congested, Benchmark Space Systems has unveiled a breakthrough Collision Avoidance (ColA) Kit, featuring its heritage propulsion technology in a condensed package, that is easily and affordably deployed aboard electric propulsion (EP) and non-propulsive microsatellites and OTVs to help them quickly steer clear of approaching spacecraft and orbital debris.

Benchmark's COLA Kit will leverage innovations in space domain awareness and traffic management data technologies through strategic partnerships and collaborations driven by a passion for a more cooperative and sustainable space economy.

"Benchmark's Collision Avoidance Kit is an affordable, plug-and-play safety accessory that effectively keeps highly desirable, revenue-generating orbits sustainable and open for business," noted Chris Carella, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for Benchmark Space Systems, who presented yesterday during a Secure World Foundation panel at SmallSat 2022.

"Our COLA Kit solution brings to market a first-of-its-kind wholistic informed, intelligent and effective traffic management solution that is optimized and right-sized for the microsat and ESPA satellite classes. It marks an important milestone in our mission to help make space accessible and sustainable, and we hope others step forward with similar or complimentary offerings that contribute to these critical industry initiatives."

Benchmark is in the advanced stages of securing non-exclusive partnerships with complementary tech providers and customers of the new collision avoidance solution.

In-space situational awareness data and service provider SCOUT is among a growing number of space companies that see real-life advantages in combining technologies that track and detect conjunction threats with systems that can effectively respond and react.

Scout is deploying payloads and satellites that provide next-generation data on the orbital environment. The firm's technology improves coverage and fidelity of situational awareness and space data with use of in-space and on-board sensors, leading to greater accuracy, fidelity, and late detection capability that will help operators make valuable operational improvements through rapid maneuverability enabled by Benchmark's ColA kit.

"SCOUT will deploy our fleet of in-space and on-orbit systems to provide continuous situational awareness services to support sustainable space operations, and advanced on-orbit, servicing, assembly and manufacturing missions," said Eric Ingram, SCOUT CEO. "SCOUT and Benchmark have shared missions in the past and we have strong synergies on our respective roadmaps that highlight several opportunities to work cooperatively to bring pre-integrated, bundled solutions to benefit the market."

As popular orbits are getting crowded, operational risks increase significantly. Without an effective collision avoidance capability, operators are sometimes faced with increased costs and mission delays to modify satellites and spacecraft to function effectively in less traveled, alternate orbital locations. Benchmark will continue to strengthen their technological solutions with a network of unfolding partnerships.

Benchmark's scalable, launch vehicle agnostic propulsion products and services suite support a broad spectrum of spacecraft - from 3U cubesats through ESPA-class (3-500kg) satellites, lunar landers, spent launcher stages, and orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), which will enable a broad range of in-space services and capabilities supporting the space economy and ecosystem.

Related Links
Benchmark Space Systems
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

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