The company’s new telescope in Chile (southern hemisphere) joins its existing one in Portugal (northern hemisphere)

Coimbra, Portugal, 6 December 2024 – Portuguese aerospace company Neuraspace, one of the world leaders in Space Traffic Management (STM), has announced the installation and activation of its second optical telescope. The new telescope is located in Chile and expands coverage over the southern hemisphere. Together with its first telescope, installed at the Beja air base in Portugal, the company can now provide satellite tracking coverage over both hemispheres through its own telescopes, in addition to global data obtained from partner networks.

As a result of their ability to exceed the acquisition rate of one image per second for low orbits, and by enabling the tracking of objects down to 10 cm in diameter, the two telescopes are among the most advanced in the world for the acquisition of astrometric and photometric data for low Earth orbit (LEO). This reduces the uncertainty level for positional errors to less than 100 meters within one orbital revolution as set out in the ESA Space Debris Mitigation Requirement in 2023.

In addition, they support highly agile horizon-to-horizon multi-orbit tracking to quickly switch between targets, producing measurements over a passage of a few seconds to tens of minutes, enabling scalable acquisition of data suitable for multiple purposes such as collision avoidance, debris tracking, pattern-of-life analysis, and launch and early orbit phase (LEOP).

Due to the high number of clear nights per year in the region, Neuraspace expects the new telescope to be even more productive than its telescope at Beja. The latter has already produced more than 300,000 measurements of space objects in orbits from LEO to GEO within the first three months of operations.

With this latest addition, Neuraspace increases the satellite tracking and analysis capabilities of its STM Platform which also provides analysis using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Neuraspace already provides services such as conjunction monitoring and collision avoidance to over 400 satellites through this platform. Through this second telescope the company will improve the timeliness and accuracy of these services, enabling safer and more efficient spacecraft operations.

Chiara Manfletti, CEO of Neuraspace, said: “This investment consolidates Neuraspace as a global leader in space traffic management. We already excel at creating value from data with AI. Now we’re also getting the best possible data with our strategy of fusing data from different sources with our own. With this expansion of our infrastructure, we are redefining the standards of safety and efficiency in space operations worldwide.”

The two telescopes are also part of the AI Fights Space Debris project and consortium, which is led by Neuraspace and includes partners such as the Instituto Pedro Nunes, GMVIS Skysoft, the University of Coimbra, the Instituto Superior Técnico and the Nova University of Lisbon. The aim of this investment, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and part of a total planned effort of 25 million euros, is to improve the safety and sustainability of orbits by providing complementary services to all companies operating in space.

About the AI Fights Space Debris project
The AI Fights Space Debris project (C626449889-00463050), is part of the Mobilising Agenda/Alliances for Reindustrialisation funded by the PRR – Recovery and Resilience Plan with a budget of 25M million euros.
The project aims to support the advancement of safe space operations and collision avoidance with space debris and other satellites. The Consortium is led by Neuraspace and in partnership with GMVIS Skysoft, the Instituto Pedro Nunes, the University of Coimbra, the Instituto Superior Técnico, and the Nova University of Lisbon.

About Neuraspace
Established in 2020, Neuraspace is a European-born company that provides solutions and services to more than 300 commercial satellites with established operators in the market to make space safe, secure, and sustainable. Neuraspace offers real-time automated space traffic management, routine space mission support software and resilient mission design, focusing on sustainability. They also leverage new-age technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to process data, automate processes, and offer valuable insights. The company’s SaaS platform facilitates coordination among satellite operators, while their Data-as-a-Service product offers comprehensive space situational awareness.