KMI Columns
Read posts by our team describing various issues related to space, community, and our mission.
Keyword search for specific authors and topics.
Featured
Read posts by our team describing various issues related to space, community, and our mission.
Keyword search for specific authors and topics.
8 minute read - What happens after a space prototype returns from orbit?
Co-Founder & CTO Austin Morris reflects on the journey of REACCH, from a shelved DARPA concept to becoming the first commercial system to repeatedly capture unprepared objects in space aboard the ISS.
From prototype setbacks and sleepless engineering sprints, to watching SpX-31 carry years of work into orbit, to 172 capture cycles aboard the International Space Station, this is the story behind one of KMI’s most ambitious missions yet.
3 minute read - Gabby Muehlenbeck stood barefoot on the edge of Black Rocks in Marquette, Michigan, sun-warmed stone beneath her, Lake Superior shimmering below. Her heart thumped. Tunnel vision. Don’t think. Just jump.
So she did.
5 minute read - KMI and the US Space Force share a common goal: ensuring free access to and use of space for all. To meet that mission, debris-causing events must be predicted and avoided.
Sheena Winder showcases our new role in the SDA TAP Lab where were helping the Department of Defense (DoD) cut through the noise and rapidly identify unknown objects in space in less than a minute.
8.2 minute read - Fellow xenologists, prep your gear—our next alien expedition awaits! What would life look like on a planet with crushing gravity, acidic skies, or methane oceans? Preksha Sanjay Madhva breaks down how otherworldly environments could shape life itself—from compact, ground-hugging beasts to floating titans in sulfur clouds.
2 minute read - From learning CAD to designing capture targets for REACCH, Engineering Intern Joe Giroux has spent the last year transforming curiosity into capability. As he heads to Michigan Tech to study Mechanical Engineering, we celebrate the work he’s done at KMI—and the engineer he’s becoming.
6.5 minute read - Every night, I look up and wonder who might be looking back. Could life exist out there—not just somewhere, but everywhere?
In the first installment of Beneath Alien Skies, Maura Flynn delves into the fundamentals of life itself: what it needs to survive, and how truly alien biology might look beyond the comforting blueprint of Earth. Carbon, silicon, hybrids, and solvents that seem straight from the pages of science fiction—this is just the start of our exploration.
5 minute read - Flat like a pancake, curved like a sphere, or twisted like a cosmic donut? The shape of the universe is one of the greatest mysteries in cosmology, and its answer could reveal the fate of everything. Robotics Engineer Preksha Sanjay Madhva dives into the mind-bending possibilities of our universe’s geometry—from infinite expansion to a cosmic wraparound effect.
10 minute read - Designing for space isn’t easy. Before electronics reach the ISS, they must endure launch forces, operate in microgravity, and function reliably in orbit. In this first installment, Thomas Zieglar breaks down the challenges of building for space—starting with robustness. Plus, meet Astrobee, the free-flying ISS robot hosting our REACCH demo. From extreme environments to precision engineering, KMI is exploring what it takes to make space tech not just survive—but thrive.
5 minute read - Space may be silent, but that hasn’t stopped us from filling it with music! From astronauts playing Jingle Bells in microgravity to a cover of David Bowie’s Space Oddity recorded on the ISS—music has been a constant companion in space exploration. Scientists are even transforming galaxies, black holes, and star data into sound, turning the universe into a cosmic symphony.
5 minute read - As demand for AI computing power grows, some are looking beyond Earth for the next generation of data centers.
But what happens when orbital mechanics, power generation, and decades of accumulated space debris collide with that vision?
Adam Kall explores the opportunities and challenges of orbital data centers, why Sun Synchronous Orbit may become valuable real estate, and why space sustainability must be part of the conversation from the start.