View attachment Aule Space.mp4
What if satellites could simply plug into a "power bank" instead of drifting away when they run out of fuel? Aule Space has built technology that may make it happen soon... Read thread to learn more.
The Bengaluru startup is building “jetpack” satellites designed to latch onto ageing spacecraft, take over their propulsion duties and keep billion-dollar assets working years longer.
After recently validating a key part of its technology at an ISRO facility used for SpaDeX, Aule Space is now preparing for what could become one of the world’s most ambitious private satellite docking demonstrations.
For satellite operators, running out of fuel doesn’t necessarily mean spacecraft have reached the end of life. In many cases, expensive communication satellites remain fully functional but can no longer maintain their assigned orbital positions because they have exhausted the propellant needed for station-keeping.
Once that happens, operators are forced to retire assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Aule has found another way.
“We’re trying to build satellites which dock to existing satellites which don’t have any installed ports... & extend their life so that they can keep generating revenue,” CEO Jay Panchal, told me. “It’s like a power bank,” he added.
Instead of attempting the far more complicated task of refueling satellites in orbit, Aule’s approach is to send smaller “jetpack” spacecraft that docks with an existing communications satellite and assumes responsibility for station-keeping using its own propulsion system.
The company plans to target geostationary communication satellites, many of which cost more than $300 million to build and generate significant annual revenues
The challenge lies in docking with satellites that were never designed to be serviced. Rather than relying on dedicated docking ports, Aule will attach its spacecraft to the liquid apogee motor (LAM) nozzle, a standard external feature found on most geostationary satellites.
If successful, the tech could help operators extract years of additional service from satellites that would otherwise become orbital relics. Panchal said each docked “jetpack” could extend a satellite’s operational life by up to 5 yrs.
The startup recently completed a major milestone by testing its camera-based guidance, navigation and control system at the Rendezvous Simulation Laboratory (RSL) at Isro’s ISITE — the same lab where critical elements of #paDeX were validated.
“We were the first non-govt entity to access RSL. This is the best kind of on-ground testing we can do for these capabilities,” Panchal said.
One of Aule’s differentiators is its reliance on computer vision instead of multiple specialized sensors. Current docking systems typically use LiDAR, infrared cameras and other sensors.
Aule says its spacecraft will perform the critical final approach using a single optical camera powered by onboard AI.
The visual navigation models are trained using data generated in its own facilities and validated at ISRO’s testbed before being deployed in orbit.
The company is targeting an in-orbit demonstration next year, when it plans to launch two satellites that will autonomously dock in low-Earth orbit.
Panchal claims it could be the world’s first private mission to perform non-cooperative docking in LEO using camera-only navigation.
The mission will validate technologies that Aule ultimately intends to deploy around geostationary communication satellites
