WASHINGTON — Space startup True Anomaly is preparing to launch its first two satellites designed to fly up close to other objects to maneuver, inspect and photograph them.
Founded in 2022 and just closing a $100 million funding round, True Anomaly aims to demonstrate the Jackal spacecraft's ability to perform in-orbit activities known as rendezvous and close operations.
“Jackals will take high-resolution images and full-motion video of each other while operating in close proximity,” True Anomaly founder and CEO Even Rogers said in a recent interview.
Two Jackal spacecraft, each weighing approximately 300 kilograms, will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the upcoming Transporter 10 rideshare.
The Centennial, Colorado-based company is focused on the military market and aims to deploy the Jackal satellite to support U.S. Space Force operations. For example, military units can use satellites to train maneuvering tactics, practice close-in operations, and test payloads in orbit.
“Built for National Security Missions”
Rogers described the Jackal as “a new class of spacecraft purpose-built for national security space missions.” The company is using Jackal to compete in the industry's nascent market for non-terrestrial imagery, or images of objects in space. These capabilities are now commercially available following changes to the licensing process announced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last year.
True Anomaly received a NOAA license in August for the first Jackal mission in low Earth orbit.
The company is considering deploying additional satellites with similar capabilities and will seek a license modification. “We plan to submit new license applications to cover larger constellations, different missions and orbits such as GEO, and new design variations as needed,” a True Anomaly spokesperson said. space news.
Rogers said one reason True Anomaly is attracting investors is the hope that it can meet the growing demand for timely, high-quality data about the space environment.
“One of the most important gaps in space domain awareness is the ability to collect high-resolution, multi-phenomenological data on resident space objects,” he said. Existing ground-based sensors used to monitor outer space do not provide “a lot of intelligence-quality information.”
He said military and intelligence agencies seeking to identify orbital threats need more detailed data on spacecraft and debris. “Other-Earth imagery is an important tool for filling these intelligence gaps.”
Each Jackal is equipped with five sensors, including three imaging payloads: radar, shortwave infrared, longwave infrared, visible wide field of view, and visible narrow field of view.
Images from places other than Earth are a “big market”
In their debut mission, one Jackal will take detailed images of the other, demonstrating their extra-Earth imaging capabilities. Two identical vehicles fly into orbit. One acts as the “imager” and the other acts as the “resident spatial object”.
Rogers said he is optimistic about the imaging business outside of Earth. The Space Force has not disclosed spending expectations for this area, but military officials say space will become increasingly crowded and rival nations deploy systems to track and potentially target U.S. satellites. , said it expects demand for “space domain awareness” to increase.
“Is this a big market? Yes,” Rogers said. “Our last fundraising campaign was premised on that fact. We believe that extraterrestrial imaging is a very important and very large market, and that this is a market that not only the U.S. government but also the private sector It’s also based on demand from operators.”
Players in this market include established Earth observation companies that already operate satellites equipped with high-resolution cameras and sensors. There are other commercial startups specializing in off-Earth imaging.
Rogers said True Anomaly stands out because it allows for “close and sustained imaging of living space objects in a variety of phenomenologies.”
Once the Jackal technology is proven in orbit, the goal is to build a constellation of satellites, he said. Dozens of satellites are needed to monitor the 22,000-mile geostationary zone above Earth, where the military's most valuable satellites are located.
