SpaceMap Targets Global Standards for Space Traffic Management
South Korean space technology startup SpaceMap is using artificial intelligence and proprietary algorithms to predict collision risks between satellites and space debris. The company says its longer term goal is to help establish international standards for space traffic management.
- SpaceMap was founded in 2021 by Deoksoo Kim.
- ASTRO-1 predicts collision risks and recommends avoidance maneuvers.
- The system analyzes satellite and space debris orbits.
- SpaceMap has subsidiaries in the United States and Luxembourg.
- The company aims to help establish international space traffic standards.
AI system analyzes orbital risks
Founded in 2021 by professor turned SpaceTech founder Deoksoo Kim, SpaceMap developed its technology from research into Voronoi Diagrams, a mathematical method for analyzing spatial relationships. The company says it adapted the method to address complex problems involving objects in orbit.
SpaceMap's flagship solution, ASTRO-1, analyzes the orbits of satellites and space debris to predict collision risks and recommend avoidance maneuvers. It also evaluates the velocity changes needed for an avoidance maneuver and possible secondary collision risks, giving operators information to help determine an appropriate response.
Kim said the technology was not originally designed specifically for the space industry. “They are mathematical techniques for efficiently analyzing positions and relationships in space,” he explained in the company announcement. “We adapted the technology to analyze complex relationships among space objects more efficiently and perform calculations faster.”
Designed for growing orbital data
SpaceMap's announcement links the need for its technology to the increasing number of satellites and pieces of space debris. As satellite constellations grow, the company expects the volume of orbital data and the number of potential close encounters to increase as well.
The startup says its proprietary Voronoi based algorithms can reduce the computational burden involved in analyzing large numbers of space objects. Kim also said the technology could be extended beyond collision risk analysis to a wide range of computational problems in space.
“The decisive factor behind starting the company was recognizing that the mathematical technology we had been researching could solve complex problems in the space industry and be developed into competitive technologies and services for the global market,” Kim said.
International expansion and standards goal
SpaceMap is a resident of SVC SEOUL, a global startup hub in Seoul's Hongdae area. The hub connects startups with strong overseas growth potential to companies, universities, and investors in Korea and abroad. Through SVC SEOUL's global expansion support program, SpaceMap has attended overseas exhibitions and built international business networks.
The company has subsidiaries in the United States and Luxembourg and is pursuing global partnerships and commercialization. Kim said SpaceMap plans to turn technology demonstrations and business partnerships into commercialization outcomes.
SpaceMap's stated long term objective is to make its technology part of the global space traffic management framework. Kim said international standards will become increasingly important for collision prediction, avoidance maneuvers, space object tracking, and information sharing as more satellites operate in space. The announcement presents ASTRO-1 and the company's algorithmic research as the foundation for pursuing that role, while positioning overseas partnerships as a route toward wider adoption.
PR Newswire: SpaceMap Aims to Set Global Standards for Space Traffic Management
