Samtel Avionics and Japan’s BULL Join Forces on Space-Debris Removal Technology

Indian aerospace and defence company Samtel Avionics has joined hands with ★★★★★ GalaxEye Secures US Patent for OptoSAR Satellite Imaging Technology. Indian space startup GalaxEye has secured a US patent covering the core architecture behind its OptoSAR system, which synchronises optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar observations so both datasets are acquired from the same platform at essentially the same time. The company’s Mission Drishti, launched in May 2026, carries SAR and multispectral sensors on one spacecraft and has direct defence, surveillance and change-detection applications.Japanese space startup BULL to examine a new approach to orbital debris management that combines active debris-removal spacecraft with passive devices designed to accelerate the disposal of objects already in orbit.

The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding on September 8 to evaluate how BULL’s Post-Mission Disposal technology could be integrated with Samtel’s satellite platforms and its Active Space Debris Removal Vehicle, or DRV, concept.

The agreement does not constitute an order or a commitment to build a specific spacecraft. The first phase will concentrate on technical requirements, interfaces, customisation, integration methods and development milestones. If that work is successful, the companies could move into product development, manufacturing, licensing, supply and commercial deployment.

The more interesting part of the agreement is a concept being examined for debris that is already in space.

Samtel’s removal spacecraft could rendezvous with an existing orbital object and attach one of BULL’s passive disposal devices to it after launch. Rather than requiring the servicing spacecraft to remain attached and expend large amounts of propellant dragging the object down, the passive device could then help accelerate orbital decay.

BULL’s announcement specifically identifies such post-launch attachment missions as one of the customer applications that the two companies may evaluate. Any actual mission would require a separate agreement and would remain subject to technical, regulatory, export-control and commercial approvals.

Combining Active and Passive Debris Removal

There are two different problems in orbital debris management.

The first is preventing today’s satellites and rocket stages from becoming tomorrow’s debris. A spacecraft approaching the end of its useful life can be equipped from the beginning with a disposal device that helps remove it from orbit.

The second problem is much harder: thousands of objects are already circling Earth without functioning propulsion or control systems.

That is where an active debris-removal vehicle becomes useful.

Such a spacecraft must travel to the target, identify it, approach it safely and somehow interact with an object that may be tumbling and was never designed to be serviced. Rendezvous and proximity operations around an uncontrolled object are considerably harder than docking with a cooperative spacecraft.

Samtel describes its DRV as an active debris-removal spacecraft technology. The company has not publicly released enough technical information to establish the vehicle’s precise configuration, capture mechanism, mass or flight schedule, so it should currently be regarded as a development capability rather than an operational debris-removal service.

The BULL partnership gives that concept an additional possible role.

Instead of necessarily transporting every piece of debris all the way to disposal orbit, a servicing spacecraft could attach a separate de-orbit device and move on to another target.

If technically feasible, that could allow one servicing vehicle to address more than one object during a mission.

BULL Already Has Hardware in Orbit

BULL’s contribution is more mature.

The Japanese company is developing a Post-Mission Disposal device called HORN, intended to increase atmospheric drag after a spacecraft or rocket component has finished its mission.

BULL launched HORN-L and HORN-R demonstration units aboard Japan’s H3 rocket in June 2026. In July, the company announced that both devices had successfully deployed their membrane structures in orbit and that orbital data showed the expected reduction in altitude caused by atmospheric drag.

The operating principle is relatively simple.

Even spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit encounter traces of Earth’s atmosphere. The drag is tiny, but over time it reduces orbital altitude.

A large lightweight membrane increases the surface area exposed to this residual atmosphere. The spacecraft consequently loses orbital energy faster and descends more quickly than it would without the device.

The approach does not require continuous propulsion. That makes it particularly attractive for objects that have exhausted their fuel or no longer possess functioning propulsion systems.

Eventually, an object descending sufficiently low encounters increasingly dense atmosphere and re-enters.

BULL is also preparing a HORN demonstration aboard a 16U satellite manufactured by Bulgaria’s EnduroSat, with launch targeted for 2027.

The company has additionally worked with Arianespace and Avio on possible integration of its disposal technology with European launch vehicles and previously signed an agreement with Indian satellite company XDLINX Space Labs concerning HORN integration.

The Samtel agreement therefore connects an Indian active-removal concept with a Japanese passive-disposal technology that has already undergone an initial orbital demonstration.

How an Actual Mission Could Work

A practical mission would be considerably more complex than simply flying up to an old satellite and attaching a device.

The debris-removal vehicle would first need an accurate orbit for its target. It would then manoeuvre close enough for onboard sensors to determine the object’s position, orientation and rotation.

Many abandoned satellites and rocket components tumble unpredictably.

The servicing vehicle would therefore need autonomous or semi-autonomous navigation capable of matching the target’s motion without colliding with it.

The next challenge would be attachment.

A debris object may have no docking fixture. Depending on the target, a servicing spacecraft might require a robotic arm, gripping mechanism, magnetic interface or another attachment method.

Only after establishing secure contact could a passive disposal device be installed.

Once deployed, the drag-enhancing structure would begin gradually lowering the object’s orbit. The servicing vehicle could then potentially depart and travel to another target.

That division of labour is what makes the Samtel-BULL concept noteworthy.

The expensive spacecraft performs the difficult rendezvous and installation work. The cheaper passive device remains behind and performs the long-duration disposal function.

Whether this produces a viable commercial system will depend heavily on how many targets one removal vehicle can service and how much propellant each rendezvous requires.

Not Every Piece of Space Junk Can Be Removed This Way

The approach has practical limits.

A drag-based device is most useful in Low Earth Orbit, where enough residual atmosphere exists to produce meaningful orbital decay. It would be far less useful for debris in much higher orbits, where atmospheric drag becomes negligible.

The target must also be suitable for attachment.

A large intact satellite or upper-stage structure may offer accessible surfaces, while fragments created by collisions or explosions can be too small, numerous or irregular to service economically one at a time.

Debris-removal programmes therefore tend to concentrate on larger objects whose removal can meaningfully reduce collision risk.

Those objects matter because a collision between two large spacecraft can generate thousands of additional fragments.

Active removal is consequently less about cleaning every small object from orbit than selectively removing high-risk objects before they create much larger debris clouds.

Why India Has an Interest in the Problem

India’s space activity is expanding quickly.

ISRO, private launch companies and satellite startups are preparing a growing number of spacecraft, while communications, Earth observation and strategic space infrastructure increasingly depend on uninterrupted access to orbital regions.

Debris is therefore not an abstract environmental issue.

A collision can destroy an expensive satellite, interrupt services and create fragments that threaten other spacecraft for years.

India already operates a national space situational awareness system through ISRO and has established the NETRA programme for tracking potentially hazardous objects. Active debris management represents the next step beyond simply knowing where those objects are.

For Indian private industry, it could also become a commercial market.

Satellite operators are facing increasing pressure to demonstrate responsible end-of-life plans, while regulators and space agencies are tightening expectations around how long defunct spacecraft should remain in orbit.

That creates demand for both preventive disposal hardware and services capable of dealing with spacecraft that cannot dispose of themselves.

An India-Japan Space Technology Partnership

The Samtel-BULL agreement also adds another private-sector component to India-Japan space cooperation.

BULL brings specialised work in passive disposal hardware, while Samtel comes from India’s established defence-electronics and avionics industry and is seeking to expand its role in space systems.

Samtel CEO Puneet Kaura described orbital debris as an increasing challenge for the global space economy and said the partnership would examine scalable solutions combining BULL’s PMD technology with Samtel’s satellite and debris-removal capabilities.

The next important milestone will not be another MoU.

It will be evidence that Samtel’s DRV can perform the difficult tasks required for active debris removal — autonomous rendezvous, close-proximity navigation and reliable interaction with an uncontrolled object.

The September 8 agreement is therefore best viewed as the beginning of a technical integration effort. BULL already has passive disposal hardware demonstrated in orbit; Samtel is bringing the active spacecraft side of the equation. The value of the partnership will depend on whether those two technologies can ultimately be made to work together around a real object in space.

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