Troy M. Morris on KMI’s Space Tow Truck & Orbital Debris Solutions

Susan Wise: 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 it’s an honor to have with us today Troy Morris, co-founder and CEO at KMI. Hi and welcome, Troy.

Troy M. Morris: Thank you so much for having me.

Susan Wise: Troy, tell us more about you and what you’re currently working on to further the space industry.

Troy M. Morris: Sure! My co-founders, our team, and I are all hard at work at KMI — originally founded as Kall Morris, Inc. We’re a space mobility and logistics company. Recently, we’ve conducted demonstrations of some of our technology aboard the International Space Station.

In layman’s terms, we’re developing the “tow truck” for space — the ability to go grab things and move them. It’s really challenging, really difficult, and we’re working to close that gap for the industry. With all the exciting things happening in space, this is our part to play.

Susan Wise: You know, there’s a lot of debris and junk floating around up there that could cause issues. We need to clean that up, repurpose it, do something with it, right?

Troy M. Morris: Exactly. That’s actually where we started as a company — looking at the space debris problem. As we explored with customers and developed the technology, more than one came to us saying, “Hey, that’s great — debris is definitely a problem, but I have stuff that could become debris tomorrow. What can we do to prevent that?”

And prevention is sometimes as good as the cure. So being able to address multiple aspects of the orbital ecosystem is something we’re really proud of. It’s not just the debris problem we started with — it’s about keeping space sustainable overall.

Susan Wise: How does this work? Is it something that’s part of the Space Station, or something separate that you send up?

Troy M. Morris: What we sent up — I actually have one of the non–space-rated versions of the arms with me — is similar to what we deployed on the Space Station. These arms plug into a drone aboard the station, known as Astrobee.

Like a drone you might fly in your backyard, Astrobee can fly around inside the station. We deployed four of these arms at any given time and were able to capture a floating object — one that had no propulsion or communication, and couldn’t tell us where it was.

When SpaceX capsules dock with the ISS, there’s a lot of communication — “Align, align, here we go.” But for our experiment, there was none of that. That’s one of the aspects we were testing — being able to capture objects that can’t communicate their telemetry or movement.

So, as we deployed this tentacle-like mechanical linkage, we gained a lot of insight and interest. It’s a really fascinating system.

Susan Wise: How far out does it extend?

Troy M. Morris: The full-sized arms extend about a meter. So, the spacecraft has to get extremely close to whatever it’s capturing or servicing. It’s not a net or a harpoon — it’s close-contact technology that grapples and relocates assets in space.

Susan Wise: Wow, that’s exciting. During your journey in creating this, I’m sure you had some “aha” moments. Want to share one?

Troy M. Morris: Definitely. The first big “aha” moment was when I first spoke with my two now co-founders. We were all in stable, well-paying corporate jobs in industries adjacent to aerospace. They said, “We want to do a career change — we’re young, excited, and our current paths just aren’t scratching that itch.”

At first, I thought I’d just advise them — I came from a business background, not hardware or software. But they sold me on the idea that this was something that needed to happen. Everywhere we looked, people stopped short — projects were too expensive or canceled.

We realized that if we wanted to build space hotels, skyhooks, or do anything cool in space someday, this needed to be addressed first. That moment — late October or early November 2019 — was when I thought, I don’t want to go to my day job anymore. I want to do this full time. And we’ve been doing that ever since.

Susan Wise: I’m so glad you are! The space industry is really taking off. We’re going back to the Moon, hopefully to Mars — it’s amazing how fast it’s growing. The more it grows, the more things go up there — satellites, systems — you have a big job ahead of you! What’s been one of your biggest challenges, and how did you overcome it?

Troy M. Morris: One of our biggest challenges was that none of us came out of SpaceX, Y Combinator, or Blue Origin — the usual backgrounds for space startups. One co-founder interned at NASA, another worked on hardware for the Army and DoD — but we were still relative outsiders.

Fortunately, during the pandemic in 2020, we were able to reach out to incredible people who were at home with open calendars. We connected with folks we never thought we could.

In April 2020, we finally had someone tell us, “No, this isn’t going to work. You’re missing something.” Some of her points were right, others we convinced her on. Before she left the National Space Council, she actually signed one of our documents with a note saying, “I’m proud of you guys.” That’s framed in our archives. Going from “You’re wrong” to “I’m proud of you” — that was a big turning point.

Susan Wise: That’s exciting! Now, over the summer, did you actually grab something with the International Space Station?

Troy M. Morris: Yes! The demonstration launched to the station in November last year and returned in May — about 200 days in space. We got the hardware back in our hands on July 4th.

Our team dove into the data and began sharing results. Suni Williams, who ran many of the experiments, even came to visit us. It was an incredibly exciting summer.

Susan Wise: I bet! So, what’s next?

Troy M. Morris: Next is continuing to iterate and evolve the technology. We learned a lot — firsthand input, which is rare in aerospace. You can’t exactly interview a satellite after a mission!

Now, with both the hardware and feedback from the crew who worked with it, we’re refining the system — all eight arms, each a meter long. It’s a hefty little beast.

We’re moving forward with government and commercial partners toward our full mission-capable spacecraft, Laelaps, set to launch in 2027.

If you know your Greek mythology, Laelaps is the dog that always caught what it was chasing — fitting for our technology. A bit of biomimicry and myth combined. We decided against names like Kraken or Leviathan — too nautical! — and went with something more universal.

Susan Wise: What tremendous success already — and some exciting things ahead! I can’t wait to hear more when that happens. For our listeners, do you have a piece of advice you’d like to share today?

Troy M. Morris: Absolutely. I actually found old photos of me as a toddler running around in a Buzz Lightyear shirt — “To infinity…”

Susan Wise: “…and beyond!”

Troy M. Morris: Exactly! I still have an astronaut toy from my fifth birthday that I’ve kept all these years. I never thought I’d meet an astronaut, let alone work with them, text with them, and collaborate daily.

So my advice is: pursue and be persistent. The best things in life rarely come from the first try. You find your favorite pizza or vacation spot after trying a few. It’s the same with careers — finding what you’re passionate about is so much more rewarding than forcing yourself into a role that doesn’t fit.

Susan Wise: What keeps you motivated — the successes that come?

Troy M. Morris: I wish I could say it’s the successes, but honestly, it’s partly spite — and partly fear! There have been plenty of people saying, “You can’t do it; a billionaire will.” But billionaires hire smart people — why not us?

That drive to prove it can be done keeps us going. Also, fear — the recognition that if no one solves this, we’ll all be affected. If we want to be future space tourists or just keep using GPS, weather data, and communications, someone has to make orbital logistics sustainable.

And beyond that — I truly love what I do. We’re building an amazing company with amazing people.

Susan Wise: And great support, too.

Troy M. Morris: Definitely. The first person I always mention is my loving wife, Jenna. She’s been with me since before we had anything going to space — back when it was just a dream. She’d ask, “Why are you waking up at weird hours for calls with Japan or France?” But she’s been incredible.

Our support network also includes family, friends, the International Space Station, Space Force, SpaceWERX, the Air Force, NASA — and so many individuals across aerospace and policy who’ve given advice, mentorship, and encouragement. It’s truly a generous and welcoming community.

Susan Wise: Yes, it is.

Troy M. Morris: (laughs) And full of good puns! Sometimes I get caught saying things like, “Let’s not have an astronomical number there,” and then realize — well, I guess it is astronomical! So yes, lots of “out of this world” puns. That’s three in a row!

Susan Wise: (laughs) Okay, before we wrap up — do you have a past or present passion project you’d like to mention?

Troy M. Morris: My day job is definitely my passion project — we’re building something incredible. But outside of that, my younger brother — one of my two co-founders — and I used to do Star Wars cosplay. We’re part of the 501st Legion.

The day of his college graduation, we got up at 4 a.m., put on our Mandalorian armor (long before The Mandalorian show was popular), and did photos with the university’s official crew.

We’ve worn those outfits to charity events, children’s hospitals, and parades. It’s a fun, creative outlet I’d love to get back to when time allows — though being a dad, husband, and business owner takes up a lot of hours!

Susan Wise: That’s wonderful.

Troy M. Morris: Hopefully more of that in the future.

Susan Wise: All right, Troy Morris — we appreciate your story. Thank you so much for sharing it with us today.

Troy M. Morris: Thank you.

Susan Wise: Be sure to join us, where we connect, collaborate, and accelerate. We invite you to visit StarSciences.org to receive a free one-year membership — just enter the promo code FRIENDS.

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