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Redwire Signs MOU with Bradford Space and Swedish Space Corporation to Jointly Develop Commercial Orbital Debris Removal Service

September 20, 2022

Redwire Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with both Bradford Space and the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) to develop a commercial orbital debris removal service. Through this collaboration, Redwire will expand the development team and add extensive space robotics and guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) experience to enhance the commercial offering.

“This joint effort provides a commercial solution to address a critical need within the space environment. The preservation of the space environment is crucial for life on Earth and ensuring sustainable space exploration,” said Chris Pearson, Executive Vice President, Critical Components at Redwire. “Redwire’s robotic hardware and GN&C expertise, specifically from our Luxembourg facility, will enhance this capability. Through this collaboration, we have seen increased interest in international partnerships from our U.S. customers, and we look forward to working with Bradford Space and SSC as we continue to strengthen collaboration between both traditional and non-traditional allies in space.” 

“Bradford Space is excited to welcome Redwire to the team. This venture brings strong spaceflight experience and exceptional complementary capabilities together from each of the partners,” says Patrick van Put, Managing Director for Bradford Space European operations.

“We are proud to collaborate with trusted mission partners Redwire and Bradford Space to offer another valuable service from one of the world’s most versatile space centers in northern Sweden,” says Stefan Gardefjord, CEO of SSC.

“The Swedish National Space Agency encourages Swedish space industries to follow the United Nations Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities guidelines and we are glad to see an initiative of this kind,” said a spokesperson from the Swedish National Space Agency.

The orbital debris removal services will address the issue of common orbits becoming increasingly congested as more actors are accessing space, creating a hazard to other spacecraft using these orbits. Redwire will contribute both robotic hardware and GN&C capabilities for proximity operations and the capture of both cooperative and non-cooperative objects. A Bradford Space satellite bus with significant delta-V capability, named Square Rocket, will be inserted into orbit to then rendezvous with and deorbit the debris. The target orbits are high-inclination polar, including the common Sun synchronous orbit.

At the International Astronautical Congress 2021, Bradford Space and SSC previously announced the orbital debris removal service, which will be provided from the new spaceport facility now being built at Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden.