Space security firm Lodestar is developing a protective service for astronauts and satellites operating in orbit.
Lodestar Space, a UK-based startup specialising in in-space security applications, is set to embark on its first mission to space in early 2026. The company will hitch a ride on Exotopic's GMSS for this historic journey.
Lodestar's mission aims to demonstrate three foundational capabilities: a set of eyes, a brain, and the ability to interact with the environment. The first iteration of its Mithril product, being sent on GMSS, includes machine vision sensors and an edge-compute platform, serving as the eyes and the brain of the mission.
Thomas Santini, Lodestar's CTO, has stated that Mithril provides "weapons-grade data" for identifying objects in space, including their location, potential weak points, fuel levels, and payloads. To demonstrate its ability to image satellites in space against various backgrounds, Mithril will deploy a boom stick during its mission. This boom stick will be equipped with a variety of materials to test its ability to image and gain insights for objects on-orbit.
Lodestar Space sees the need for more space control as a significant opportunity and the first real problem to solve. The UK Space Command considers space control as their top priority. Lodestar's aim is to provide a fully autonomous bodyguard in orbit for allied space commands in contested and jammed environments.
Future iterations of Mithril will include effectors and a planned integration of a robotic arm for in-space RPO capabilities. After demonstrating all of Mithril's planned capabilities, Lodestar intends to assist on future civil and commercial ISAM missions.
At present, there are no available search results indicating with whom Lodestar Space is collaborating for the Exotopic Mission "Give Me Some Space!" in spring 2026. The cost of Lodestar Space's first mission to space was £45,000 (€51,700).
It is important to note that no social media or email platforms were mentioned in the current paragraph. This article aims to provide factual information about Lodestar Space's upcoming mission and the role of its Mithril product in space security applications.
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