KMI CTO Austin Morris on REACH, Asteria & the Future of In-Orbit Servicing

Susan Wise: Hi, and welcome to Stars Launch Pod, Space Technology and Research Sciences, brought to you by Starsciences.org, where we connect, collaborate, and accelerate. I’m your host, Susan Wise, and joining us this time is Austin Morris, co-founder and CTO at Kall Morris Incorporated, or KMI. Austin, welcome to the program.

Austin Morris: Thanks for having me. Delighted to be here.

Susan Wise: Let’s get into exactly what you do at Kall Morris. Give us an overview, and then let us know what you’re doing right now to further the space industry.

Austin Morris: So KMI, broadly, is working on in-space relocation and maneuvering of assets on orbit. Essentially, we’re able to extend the life of objects already launched into space, reposition them, or boost them into a new orbit — as well as support objects yet to be launched.

My role as CTO is leading our technology development, demonstrating our technologies and capabilities, and actually executing those operations.

Our most recent success was a demonstration on the International Space Station. We launched in November 2024 and operated through April 2025. Over about five months, we had six operation sessions demonstrating our capability to grapple unprepared objects in space and move them around.

Susan Wise: This is your octopus thing, right? With all the arms?

Austin Morris: Correct. We call this technology REACH, but it’s widely known as the “robot space octopus.” It’s specially designed to grab onto different objects regardless of size, shape, or material and move them wherever they need to go. We were fortunate to work with crew on station, including Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were up there longer than planned.

We also worked with Don Pettit and Takuya Onishi and collected an immense amount of valuable scientific data from all those operations.

Susan Wise: That’s so great.

Austin Morris: We’re thrilled with how it went. Now we’re preparing revisions and iterations based on everything we learned to build the full spacecraft and full demonstration, which we aim to launch in the next two years or so.

Susan Wise: This is so exciting. So you’re moving around satellites — maybe a satellite that’s about to go defunct?

Austin Morris: Exactly. Historically, humanity has had a preemptive need to dispose of satellites. For example, let’s say a satellite has a critical computer system with one primary and two backups. If the primary lasts 10 years and fails, you switch to a backup. If the second lasts seven years, fine. But the third could last four to ten years, and historically we’ve had to deorbit the spacecraft immediately because we can’t risk that last one failing and leaving an uncontrolled debris object in orbit.

Our approach is: let it run until it truly dies. Then we can come in, grapple the object, and dispose of it afterward rather than preemptively.

Satellites nearing end-of-life, satellites already dead, rocket bodies — anything up there, really. And if operators want to modify an asset’s mission, we can relocate it to a different orbit.

Susan Wise: Mm-hmm.

Austin Morris: There are many use cases for the capability.

Susan Wise: That’s exciting — and it is getting crowded up there. I’m sure you’ve had challenges along the way. What was one of your biggest challenges and how did you overcome it?

Austin Morris: Great question. I’d say the biggest challenge was finding the right business model.

We started KMI with a focus on orbital debris. The three of us — myself and my co-founders, Adam and Troy — saw the growing risk of space debris left behind by human operations. But we kept running into the same issue: it’s perceived as a “tragedy of the commons.” If there’s litter in a park, it affects everyone, so no one person feels responsible to pay for cleanup.

We dug deeper into the data, analyzing which objects actually pose risk. We discovered that most conjunctions involved a single object threatening a specific constellation — and in many cases, that object was a defunct asset from that same constellation. Operators didn’t realize the thing they kept dodging was their own.

This shifted the model from “tragedy of the commons” to “tragedy of the council,” or even the individual. When we can show an operator that a specific object is only a risk to them, and quantify the revenue they lose each year from service interruptions, it becomes a straightforward financial decision. If we can remove the problem for less than that lost revenue, it’s a win for both sides.

A major focus for us has been efficiency and lowering cost so the solution makes financial sense.

Susan Wise: Exactly — that makes sense.

Austin Morris: Otherwise, the thought of “someone else should pay” will linger. Narrowing the problem to the operator directly responsible changed the discussion significantly.

Susan Wise: That’s just one of the things you do. Let me ask you this: can you go up and provide some other type of service? Say a satellite operator wants to add something — can you do that?

Austin Morris: Yes, though it’s a bit complex. Many people think of in-space servicing as repair or refueling. That’s not something we’re focused on, mostly because others are doing excellent work there.

What we can do is augment objects in space. In addition to REACH, we’re working on a technology called Asteria — essentially like a barnacle, metaphorically Velcro-ing to the side of an object in orbit (not actually Velcro, of course). Asteria attaches to satellites regardless of shape or material and carries a payload that can add propulsion, communications, improved tracking — any number of capabilities.

It’s especially useful for satellites launched before certain technologies existed.

Susan Wise: So is there a person controlling the octopus? Is this AI? Who’s the “director” here?

Austin Morris: Fair question. It’s a combination, but mostly it’s a remotely operated vehicle.

The spacecraft that carries REACH and Asteria is called Laelaps, named after the mythological hound that never failed to catch what it hunted. Laelaps moves in orbit based on inputs from our ground team: here’s where Laelaps is, here’s the target, here’s the plotted course. The spacecraft executes it and sends back feedback.

Up close, when using REACH or installing Asteria, the spacecraft needs to take over because of communications delays — small in low Earth orbit, but still important during dynamic operations with tumbling or uncontrolled objects.

The spacecraft gathers data, forms a plan for how to grapple the object, sends it to the ground for human approval, and then autonomously executes the plan.

So it’s human-machine collaboration.

Susan Wise: Will Laelaps stay in orbit, or go up and down for each job?

Austin Morris: Great question. It will stay in orbit and operate repeatedly. For example, if we grab something at 800 km and it needs to be deorbited, we’ll bring it down to ~300 km, release it, then boost back up and go after the next piece.

For repositioning or boosting objects to a graveyard orbit, the process is similar — point A, point B, return, repeat.

Susan Wise: When are you sending Laelaps out?

Austin Morris: The first launch is scheduled for Q4 of 2027. We’re about two years out, depending on shutdowns or related delays. In the meantime, we’re doing extensive ground work and may conduct additional in-space demos of component technologies.

Susan Wise: This is very exciting. What one piece of advice would you like to share with listeners before we wrap up?

Austin Morris: There are so many lessons from the six years since we started KMI, but if I had to pick one: don’t be afraid to try something. Don’t be afraid to experiment. There are many ways to approach any goal. The only way to know if you’re on the right path is to try, and if you’re going to fail, fail fast. Learn, iterate, and improve. Failure teaches more than success.

Susan Wise: I also want to add — after talking to your partners, it’s clear you three have a strong bond and support system.

Austin Morris: Absolutely. We’re fortunate to have found each other. Troy and I found each other early — he’s my older brother — and Adam and I met as freshman roommates. We’re lucky not only to work well together but to have realized and built upon that. None of us could have done this alone.

And it extends beyond us to our incredible team of Space Rangers and all our partners and supporters. Having unified vision and trust is special.

Starting a company — especially a space company — is incredibly hard. I often reference: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

Susan Wise: I love that.

Austin Morris: It’s very true.

Susan Wise: Now, I know KMI is your passion, but is there another passion project you’d like to mention?

Austin Morris: So many. Our team is driven, and not just in our day jobs. Many of us support community events, education outreach, run Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, and more.

In my case: all of the above — plus Star Wars. I’m a member of the 501st Legion, a Star Wars costuming charity organization. We work with children’s charities, raise money, and make hospital visits. As an engineer-turned-executive, I don’t get much hands-on time anymore, so it’s nice to build things in the evenings.

A lot of our passions tie back to what first inspired us. For me, Star Wars is what set me on the path to space — so it’s a fun full-circle moment.

Susan Wise: I love it. Austin, thank you for sharing your passion, what you’ve got going on at KMI, and your story. I know KMI will be part of the space program for many years to come. I can’t wait to see everything launch and everything that happens in the next year or two. Thank you.

Austin Morris: Thank you so much.

Susan Wise: Be sure to join us as we connect, collaborate, and accelerate. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and subscribe. Until next time, keep looking up. Thanks, Austin.

Austin Morris: Thank you so much.