September 09, 2025 – London, UK: Lúnasa is proud to announce the successful completion of a critical ground-based robotic test campaign for our Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking (RPOD) technology, in partnership with Orbit Fab (UK) and supported by the UK Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) Major funding.
This milestone represents a key advancement in the development of autonomous in-orbit servicing systems that are not only intelligent but also designed with mission safety and regulatory compliance at their core.
Over a multi-day campaign, our engineering team executed a series of close-range robotic tests inside Lúnasa’s state-of-the-art dark room robotic testbed, a facility purpose-built to replicate the dynamics and conditions of orbital RPOD missions.
The campaign comprised over seven unique RPOD scenarios, each designed to stress-test our proprietary guidance and control algorithm under varied and challenging conditions. These included:
- Straight-line translational approaches
- Misaligned docking trajectories
- Variable lighting conditions to simulate sunlit and shadowed orbital phases
- Dynamic edge cases representing off-nominal behavior or fault injection scenarios
Each test was aimed at validating the algorithm’s robustness across high-fidelity simulated orbital encounters, where spacecraft must operate autonomously with minimal margin for error.
Beyond performance validation, the campaign placed significant emphasis on safety assurance and regulatory readiness. Our RPOD algorithm was rigorously evaluated for:
- Fail-safe behaviour in the event of guidance anomalies
- Collision avoidance protocols during abort and loitering sequences
- Compliance with emerging international best practices for satellite servicing missions
These aspects are critical for future orbital missions as the demand for responsible satellite servicing, refuelling, and end-of-life disposal capabilities continues to grow.
This test campaign marks a key milestone in Lúnasa’s roadmap toward delivering safe, intelligent, and modular in-orbit servicing technologies for commercial and governmental customers alike.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the teams at Orbit Fab (UK) and the UK Space Agency for their invaluable collaboration and support throughout this phase of development. Together, we are building the foundation for a sustainable and serviceable future in space.
About Lúnasa
Lúnasa is developing advanced autonomous systems for in-orbit servicing, inspection, and rendezvous operations. With deep expertise in guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), we are building the core technologies that will enable safer, more intelligent spacecraft interactions in Earth orbit and beyond.
