A low-cost method of getting satellites into challenging orbits 

The company works with organisations of all sizes in order to help make space exploration more accessible to all

Spotted: Space exploration has long been dominated by a handful of countries. Now, many others are seeking ways to get involved, through a combination of regional cooperative efforts and nascent development of national space agencies. In South America, of the 10 countries working on space projects, Argentina has one of the larger national budgets and is one of two countries that can design, build, test, and operate satellites, for telecommunications and Earth imaging. 

With the knowledge that developing countries are competing with space programmes elsewhere in the world, most of which are funded by private investments totalling billions of dollars, some innovators such as Argentinian space technology company Epic Aerospace are focusing on nimbleness and accessibility. Epic Aerospace created a method for moving satellites to various locations in space and launched its first orbit transfer vehicle (OTV) in January 2023 via the SpaceX Transporter 6 rideshare mission.  

Likening its OTV to a river tugboat, the Epic Aerospace space tug directs satellites to their target orbit position in either Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO). The company provides a range of services, from propulsion system development and manufacturing to hydrogen peroxide fuel production, storage, and export capability. 

Epic Aerospace’s fleet of “Chimera” vehicles are customisable, allowing partners to choose everything from size of satellite to how much weight it can carry and in what location it will orbit the Earth. The space tugs work with single satellites of the simplest design to an advanced fleet of satellites. As the number of spacecraft in orbit increases, developing a system for manoeuvring them into various positions will enable the development of vehicle networks safely orbiting the Earth, much like highways that create safe passages for cars. 

With the increase in satellites and spacecraft sent to space comes the problem of what to do with them once their tasks are completed. Space junk is now a relatively urgent problem, with Springwise’s database showcasing a range of innovative solutions for cleaning up outer space such as a low-cost sail that speeds up a vehicle’s descent and a magnetic docking plate to prepare satellites to deorbit.

Written By: Keely Khoury