Blackswan Space is selected for the EDF ASIMOV Project

Vilnius, Lithuania – Blackswan Space is proud to announce its participation in ASIMOV (Autonomous System for Inspection, Maintenance, Defence Operations and ManoeuVres), one of the projects selected for funding under the European Defence Fund (EDF) programme. Coordinated by Leonardo and bringing together leading European aerospace and defence organisations, ASIMOV aims to establish the first European dual-use On-Orbit Servicing (OOS) System of Systems, enabling autonomous, secure and sovereign operations across Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO).

The €57.3 million initiative will focus on the design and validation of a federated European framework for satellite inspection, servicing, protection and maintenance, while advancing critical technologies to higher readiness levels and strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy in space.

Within ASIMOV, Blackswan Space will contribute its expertise in space autonomy, mission simulation and rendezvous & proximity operations (RPO). The company will play a key role in the design of onboard autonomy capabilities and lead activities related to mission simulation within the project’s digital engineering environment. Blackswan Space will also contribute to the development of advanced simulation tools and digital twin technologies that enable the testing and validation of complex orbital operations in realistic operational scenarios.

The company’s contributions build upon two flagship technologies:

• Mission Design Simulator (MDS) – Blackswan Space’s high-fidelity mission simulation platform capable of modelling orbital mechanics, spacecraft dynamics, robotic operations and autonomous mission execution.
• RPO Kit – an advanced vision-based navigation solution designed for autonomous rendezvous, inspection and proximity operations, with applications in both civil and defence-related space missions.

As part of the project, Blackswan Space will further enhance these capabilities to support defence-relevant on-orbit operations, including autonomous inspection, tracking of non-cooperative objects, resilient mission planning and validation of autonomous decision-making systems.

“ASIMOV represents a major step toward strengthening Europe’s sovereign capabilities in space operations,” said the Blackswan Space team. “We are honoured to contribute our expertise in autonomy and mission simulation to a consortium that will help shape the future of European on-orbit servicing and space security.”

The project will run for 36 months and brings together more than 35 organisations from across Europe. Blackswan Space’s contribution to the programme is valued at approximately €700,000, underscoring the company’s growing role in the development of strategic European space technologies.

Blackswan Space looks forward to working with its European partners to advance the next generation of autonomous space capabilities and contribute to a safer, more resilient and sustainable space ecosystem.