Kurs Orbital
Turin startup, founded 2021, making the ARCap capture module (radar, machine vision, laser ranging, robotic arm) to dock with uncooperative satellites.
Kurs Orbital is a space technology startup that develops rendezvous, docking and capture technology for on-orbit servicing, including satellite life extension, relocation, de-orbiting, debris removal and inspection. The company was founded in 2021 by Volodymyr Usov, former head of the State Space Agency of Ukraine, and relocated to Turin, Italy, after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine; it is hosted at ESA BIC Turin (Corso Castelfidardo 30/a).
The company positions its work as a continuation of the Kurs rendezvous system heritage, first used on the Mir space station in 1985 and later on Soyuz and Progress vehicles, including a laser rangefinder developed in 2000 for ISS docking. Named team members include Vadim Vasiliev, chairman of the Ukrainian Space Association and board member of the KURS scientific complex, Volodymyr Usov, and managing director Paolo Vita.
The main product is the ARCap Module, a universal rendezvous and capture system designed for fully autonomous rendezvous and docking with uncooperative objects. It can be integrated with satellites, orbital transfer vehicles and cargo or crew spacecraft for LEO and GEO missions. Published parameters: initial servicer mass 100-2,200 kg, dry mass 60-1,600 kg, operational lifetime 3-10 years, GEO servicing envelope of 35,800 km plus or minus 1,000 km altitude with plus or minus 1 degree inclination; the sensor suite combines a radar module, machine vision, a laser rangefinder and a robotic arm. The company also presents Kurs One, an on-orbit servicer able to inspect a client from several kilometres away and attach to it for relocation or de-orbiting, and a cargo container concept. ARCap development began in 2024, and a first on-orbit servicing mission in LEO is planned for 2027.
In 2024 Kurs Orbital announced a EUR 3.7 million (about USD 4 million) seed round led by OTB Ventures. In December 2024 it received a EUR 1.1 million soft loan from Invitalia under Italy's Smart&Start programme. Media reports cite agreements with D-Orbit, ClearSpace and Thales Alenia Space.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
ARCap Module
Autonomous rendezvous and capture module for docking with uncooperative satellites in LEO and GEO.
Kurs One
On-orbit servicer that inspects client spacecraft from kilometres away and attaches for relocation or de-orbit.
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Contact Kurs Orbital
WEBSITE
https://kursorbital.comHEADQUARTERS
Italy
Company Facts
Founded
2021
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
Early-Stage VC
Funding Total
-
