Firefly, D-Orbit and Katalyst win Pentagon deorbit-as-a-service study awards
SDA and DIU tapped Firefly, D-Orbit and Katalyst for a combined $8.4 million to design commercial satellite-deorbit services.
what happened
The Space Development Agency and Defense Innovation Unit awarded Firefly Aerospace, D-Orbit USA and Katalyst Space a combined roughly $8.4 million for preliminary design and risk-reduction work on a "deorbit-as-a-service" capability to rendezvous with, capture and deorbit aging or non-cooperative satellites, per SpaceNews and Defense Daily. Firefly's own August 13 release detailed its Elytra-based design; SDA and DIU expect preliminary design reviews from all three companies by the end of 2026 before selecting which proceeds to a full on-orbit demonstration.
why it matters
The award adds a debris-removal use case to Firefly's Elytra line and puts it in a three-way government-funded competition with D-Orbit and Katalyst for the same deorbit-as-a-service demonstration slot, testing which commercial in-space-servicing approach the Pentagon backs first. It follows the White House's push to prioritize orbital debris mitigation ahead of any operational contract.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Firefly Aerospace
- Category
- procurement
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 5 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-08-13
- Published
- 2026-08-14 05:26 UTC