SAN FRANCISCO – Southern California startup Orbes announced an agreement July 27 to send Exo-ORB, a free-flying satellite, to gather imagery of an uncrewed Symphony Space station.

Exo-ORB, which is roughly the size of a 12-unit cubesat, will launch alongside Prelude, Symphony Space’s demonstration mission, in late 2027 or early 2028. Once in orbit, Exo-ORB will move 10 to 20 meters from Symphony Space’s station to capture and downlink imagery, Orbes CEO Anna Shaposhnik told SpaceNews.

To prevent collisions, Exo-ORB will be equipped with cold gas thrusters, iodine thrusters and reaction wheels. “We have the [guidance, navigation and control] GNC in place to keep it safe,” Shaposhnik said.