Validating spacecraft-encounter technology for defence applications

Vimotek has participated in Sweden’s Civil-Military Innovation Programme, a joint initiative from Vinnova and the Swedish Armed Forces supporting the application of Swedish innovation to defence-related needs.

Vimotek’s project focused on Orbittwin, the company’s mission-specific digital twin platform for spacecraft encounters, and its application in defence and security contexts.

The initiative forms part of a wider Swedish effort to connect technologies developed in the civilian sector with operational defence requirements, while strengthening national capability and the competitiveness of Swedish companies.

Connecting space technology with defence requirements

Many technologies emerging from the commercial space sector have direct relevance to defence and security.

Spacecraft increasingly operate in environments where operators may need to understand, prepare for and respond to interactions with other objects in orbit. That includes planned proximity operations as well as unexpected or ambiguous nearby-object behaviour.

The Civil-Military Innovation Programme provides Swedish companies with a structured environment for validating technologies against defence needs, engaging with relevant stakeholders and developing pathways towards further application.

For Vimotek, the programme provided a framework to validate and develop the application of spacecraft-encounter technology in defence-relevant operational contexts.

Validating defence applications for Orbittwin

Vimotek’s programme project centred on the application of Orbittwin to defence-related space scenarios.

The publicly described objectives included validating priority operational use cases and requirements, demonstrating adapted capability and supporting pathways towards further demonstrations and operational adoption.

A parallel accelerator activity addressed the commercial and strategic aspects of the dual-use transition, including positioning, defence-market requirements and routes to future collaboration.

The work strengthened the alignment between Vimotek’s technology and operational requirements around mission assurance, proximity operations, situational awareness and the resilience of space assets.

Mission-specific digital twins provide an environment in which spacecraft, mission logic and operational scenarios can be modelled and evaluated before decisions have to be made in orbit. In defence-related contexts, this can support preparation for both planned proximity operations and situations where nearby-object behaviour is unexpected or ambiguous.

Space as a civil-military innovation domain

Space is one of the technology areas addressed by the programme, reflecting the increasingly dual-use nature of the sector.

Technologies for rendezvous, servicing, sensing, digital twins and spacecraft operations can support commercial missions while also contributing to the ability to understand and safeguard critical space infrastructure.

For Vimotek, the underlying operational challenge is common to both contexts: when another spacecraft becomes relevant to a mission, operators need confidence in what is happening, what the implications are and what responses are available.

This convergence between commercial and security requirements is central to Vimotek’s focus on spacecraft encounters.

Advancing defence-relevant application

On 8 September 2026, Vinnova and the Swedish Armed Forces brought together the companies participating in the initiative for a final conference and Demo Day focused on continued testing, verification, collaboration and scaling.

Vimotek presented its work alongside other Swedish companies developing technologies with potential to contribute to future military capability.

Participation in the programme has deepened Vimotek’s engagement with the operational and commercial environment surrounding defence space applications, while providing an additional setting in which to validate the relevance of its spacecraft-encounter technology.

The work complements Vimotek’s participation in wider Swedish and European initiatives focused on mission assurance, space security and the resilience of high-value space assets.