It’s estimated that by 2030, there will be nearly 60,000 satellites in orbit. That’s 10 times as many that were in the skies by 2022.
This equates to a huge amount of debris too, with nearly 37,000 objects bigger than 10cm in size being tracked by space surveillance networks.
It means that satellites are often in need of repair or emergency warnings, but this is extremely different to do in orbit.
The Sydney-based Space Machines Company is looking to solve this problem by offering the world’s first commercially-viable “roadside assist for space”.
The company operates a distributed network of rapid response networks that can reach and assist a satellite in distress within just hours, rather than months as it can often take today.
Its network operates like emergency service responders in space, providing services such as detailed inspections of malfunctioning or suspicious satellites with sub-centimetre resolution imaging, life extensions through refuelling and component replacement, active protection against threats including space debris and hostile spacecraft, and real-time intelligence.
This Orbitside Assist is powered by Space Machine Company’s Optimus Viper spacecraft fleet and its AI-drive Solstic OS platform.
Space Machines Company chief executive Rajat Kulshrestha describes the company’s goal as “simple but ambitious: to safeguard space for everyone”.
“We’re building the rapid response capability that doesn’t exist today,” Mr Kulshrestha said.
“Our spacecraft protect, monitor and inspect satellites at risk, providing actionable intelligence that enables operators to respond to threats.
“By making these capabilities accessible and affordable, we’re ensuring that the space infrastructure everyone depends on can be defended and sustained for the long term.”
Space Machines Company is a finalist in the InnovationAus 2025 Awards for Excellence in the Defence and Dual-Use Technology category. The InnovationAus 2025 Awards for Excellence winners and finalists will be celebrated at a black-tie gala dinner at Sydney Town Hall on Thursday, November 27. You can book your tickets here.
The Defence and Dual-Use Technology Award spotlights technologies that benefit civilian and military sectors, with consideration also given to their ethical and legal implications.
The nomination serves to validate Space Machine Company’s mission, Mr Kulshrestha said.
“Space security isn’t a niche problem – it’s existential,” he said.
“The recognition signals growing awareness that the infrastructure underpinning modern society is vulnerable, undefended and irreplaceable at the speed threats emerge.
“For our team, it’s affirmation that the gap between how critical space assets are and how little capability we have to protect them is finally being recognised. Most importantly, it helps us recruit the mission-driven talent who understand the urgency of what we’re building.”
Currently it can cost an organisation tens of millions of dollars to inspect their satellites in Low Earth Orbit.
Space Machine Company’s offering is priced at between $US2-3 million per inspection, making the service more accessible to government and commercial operators.
Our modern life is now underpinned by space infrastructure, and Space Machines Company wants to provide the tools needed to protect, maintain and replace these crucial assets.
“A single satellite failure can cascade into billions in economic impact and compromise national security,” Mr Kulshrestha said.
“Adversaries can target or disable satellites with increasing sophistication, and debris threatens critical orbits. Meanwhile, democracies have essentially no on-orbit response capability – we can observe threats, but cannot act on them.
“Our entire society depends on space infrastructure that we cannot defend, cannot repair, and cannot quickly reconstitute when lost.”
The company has received funding through the federal government’s Defence Trailblazer project to develop space-borne perception and intelligence technology, with a goal to improve space domain awareness and advance Australia’s sovereign space capabilities.
The 2025 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence will be held on November 27 at the magnificent Sydney Town Hall. You can secure individual seats or book a table here. Purchase a table of 10 and have your logo displayed on screens across the venue and in the event programme as a ‘Table Sponsor’.
The InnovationAus 2025 Awards for Excellence are proudly supported by ACS, PEXA Group, the CSIRO ON Program, Griffith Hack, TechnologyOne, Q-CTRL, National AI Centre, University of New South Wales, KPMG, AgriFutures Australia, Investment NSW and IP Australia.
Protecting your great ideas with intellectual property (IP) rights can lead to lasting benefits for your growing business. IP refers to creations of the mind, such as a brand, logo, invention, design or artistic work. Head to the IP Australia website to find out more about IP, and how it might help your business.
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