Obruta Space Solutions

Obruta Space Solutions is an Ottawa, Canada-based in-space services startup founded in 2019, developing the RPOD Kit (Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking Kit) — a standardized autonomous docking technology package for spacecraft. The RPOD Kit is designed as a modular add-on that can be integrated into a variety of spacecraft platforms, enabling autonomous docking with non-cooperative and cooperative targets for applications including satellite life extension, debris removal, in-orbit refueling, and module assembly for larger space structures.

Obruta's most notable technical achievements include being the first company to demonstrate machine learning running onboard NASA's Astrobee free-flying robot aboard the International Space Station, and being the first Canadian company to fly technology on Astrobee. The Astrobee platform — a cube-shaped free-flyer used for ISS internal inspection and experiments — provided Obruta with a real microgravity testbed for validating machine learning-based proximity operations algorithms without the cost of a dedicated satellite mission. Machine learning applied to spacecraft rendezvous enables real-time pose estimation of a target object from camera imagery, adapting to lighting changes and partial occlusion that rule-based algorithms struggle with.

Autonomous RPOD is a critical enabling technology for the in-orbit servicing market — Northrop Grumman's MEV (Mission Extension Vehicle) demonstrated GEO satellite docking, and Astroscale's ELSA-d debris capture missions have tested proximity operations with cooperative targets. However, true scale in on-orbit servicing requires solving RPOD for non-cooperative targets (satellites not designed with docking interfaces, tumbling debris) at low cost — which Obruta's software-first, hardware-agnostic kit approach targets.

Obruta participates in the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) Space Exploration Development program and benefits from Ottawa's concentration of space technology companies including MDA Space, Telesat, and Honeywell's Canadian aerospace operations. The company competes with Astroscale, D-Orbit, and Orbit Fab in the growing in-orbit servicing technology market.