Technology Maturation to Support Commercial De-Orbit as a Service for pLEO Constellations
SBIR Opportunity Analysis
The United States Space Force, through the Space Development Agency, is seeking SBIR Phase II solutions to mature commercial De-Orbit as a Service capabilities for proliferated low Earth orbit satellite constellations. The work focuses on reducing risk for future on-orbit servicing by developing and prototyping technologies for rendezvous and proximity operations, universal capture mechanisms, collision-avoidance and trajectory planning, and serviceability improvements for future spacecraft. The effort is aimed at ground testing, simulation, and hardware prototyping to support a commercially viable de-orbit ecosystem, and the topic is restricted under ITAR and EAR. The opportunity is listed as pre-release, opens April 15, 2026, and closes May 13, 2026, with submission through the DoD SBIR/STTR topic portal.