Orbital Eye
Autonomy for Uncrewed Space Operations
Orbital Eye is Shield Space’s visual autonomy system in development for aautonmous rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO). Designed for the CubeSat scale, it seeks to enable satellites to independently detect, classify, and respond to nearby objects in orbit—without relying on persistent uplink or cooperative targets.
UAS-Hardened, Space-Adapted
Rather than building from scratch, Orbital Eye adapts proven edge autonomy from the tactical drone domain to deliver onboard decision-making for space.
Why It Matters
As orbital traffic increases and the environment becomes more contested, operators need faster, more autonomous ways to inspect, approach, and respond in orbit. Traditional systems depend on costly platforms and continuous ground control. Orbital Eye offers a different path: embedded, software-defined autonomy tailored for small satellites.
Key Capabilities
- Visual-based object detection and targeting
- Low-latency decision-making onboard CubeSats
- Autonomous inspection, hold, and stand-off behaviours
- Flexible integration into propulsion, ADCS, and comms architectures
What Comes Next
Orbital Eye is currently progressing through lab-based validation and flight-representative testing, with an orbital demonstration mission planned for 2027. It will also form the autonomy core for future systems like Orbital Sentinel.