On 24th July, Blue Origin announced an agreement with Scout Space to equip its spacecraft’s first mission with a next-gen space domain awareness (SDA) Owl sensor. Blue Ring is a space vehicle that can transport payloads and provide infrastructure services. The spacecraft is also able to complete missions in Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO), Geostationary Orbit (GEO), Cislunar, Mars, and beyond.
“Integrating Scout’s Owl sensor on this first mission marks a significant step forward in advancing SDA capabilities and underscores our commitment to supporting the nation’s mission requirements,” said Paul Ebertz, SVP of Blue Origin’s In-Space Systems business unit. “We’re thrilled to bring Blue Ring to market and support Scout with unmatched mission maneuverability, versatility, and capacity in GEO and beyond.”
Blue Origin and Scout Team Up to Track Space Debris With AI Sensor
The Blue Ring has a nominal delta-V of a maximum of 4000m/s using electric and chemical propulsion systems. It can carry up to 4,000kg distributed across 13 ports and has powerful computing and processing capabilities. Adding Scout Space’s Owl sensor will improve space object assessment, real-time tracking, and characterization. Because of the sensors’ advanced optical sensing and decision-making, it has the ability to complete those actions.
“We’ve always believed that no single company can bring the best space superiority capabilities to the market alone,” said Philip Hover-Smoot, CEO at Scout Space. “We’re thrilled to work with Blue Origin to bring Scout’s secure solutions onboard this historic first Blue Ring mission.”
Blue Ring’s first mission is scheduled for Spring 2026 and will be launched into geostationary transfer orbit. The launch intends to demonstrate the spacecraft’s ability to detect and track satellites, debris, and other resident space objects across various distances and environments.
Blue Origin’s Blue Ring is something that the company hasn’t done previously, but might become a new direction for Jeff Bezos’ company. The launch of the spacecraft could also spark some competition in the field among other companies, such as SpaceX.
