Marquette company cleans space with new Air Force contract

What's happening: Marquette-based Kall Morris Inc. was awarded a U.S. Air Force contract to help use new technology in managing debris orbiting the Earth. The specific technology in this contract is based on the KMI product TumblEye, which helps capture debris spinning in space.

What is the risk of space debris: Debris always has a risk of striking one of the 6,000-plus known satellites orbiting the planet at any given time. Some debris can be avoided with technology in the satellites, but a buildup of debris can make it harder to dodge other objects and waste resources. If two satellites crash into each other, the probability is high that the debris from those crashes will impact other objects in something described as the Kessler Effect. 

What they're saying: “I’m excited that we get to apply AI (artificial intelligence) towards such an interesting problem.  By predicting the behavior and telemetry of in-space objects, we will enable existing docking procedures for targets like the ISS and spacecraft to be used for docking with debris,” KMI’s Adam Kall said in a press release. “Now lessons can be learned from both use cases, used to improve the algorithm, and through TumblEye those improvements can still be used even when the docking target is something like a derelict rocket body.” 

What's next: The contract furthers the mission of Kall Morris Inc. as the company finds new ways to deal with space debris and strengthens connections with the U.S. government. “The continued support for KMI from government agencies shows their support and interest as both potential customers and partners in innovation. This USAF effort will expand the capabilities of KMI to solve unexpected issues in other domains, and answer the recognized unknowns in the space domain. We look forward to continuing to work with the government in numerous ways toward keeping space clear for all,” said Troy Morris, KMI co-founder.