MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – A breakthrough in space technology has returned home from a successful test aboard the International Space Station.
That home? Right here in the Upper Peninsula.
Marquette-based Kall Morris Inc. is working on technology that could play a key role in the future successful operation and maintenance of satellites, like the telecommunications ones you probably depend on every day.
A “tow truck for space.” That’s how Co-Founder and CEO Troy Morris describes his company’s technology.
“These mechanical linkage arms can deploy non-destructively and reversibly against unprepared objects,” Morris said. “Much like an octopus in the ocean, it gives us the capability to selectively grab things even if there’s no docking port or attachment piece, really opening up the opportunities for what can happen in space.”
Applications include providing service to existing satellites, correcting orbits and capturing debris.
The full-sized Responsive Engaging Arms for Captive Care and Handling End Effector can capture objects from the size of a basketball (~250mm) to objects with a diameter roughly that of a 3-point line on a basketball court (~6.5m). To do that in a microgravity environment, Morris says the company took inspiration from nature.
“Microstructures to mimic what geckos are using to climb windows, climb walls,” Morris said. “We’re able to combine that with the octopus mechanisms to be able to bring a creation that you wouldn’t find in nature, but it’s exactly what we need.”
The technology tested on the International Space Station used four arms due to safety and size constraints. Morris says the full prototype will have eight arms and could be ready for its first commercial use as soon as the end of 2027.
In the meantime, he says the company will be running through more testing.
“It’s the launch, it’s the regulations,” Morris said. “There’s a lot of great safety rules that are built into making sure that people are safe on the ground, on orbit.”
While the future looks bright, Morris says the company won’t forget its Upper Michigan roots.
“We want to be here for not just the next few years, not the next four years, but the next four decades,” Morris said.
The Responsive Engaging Arms for Captive Care and Handling program was funded through partnerships with the United States Space Force, with funding by the United States Air Force, in partnership with the Air Force Research Lab, as part of an exclusive license agreement with the University of Southern California.
The video above will feature the TV6 livestream until staff can clip the corresponding story, if available, from broadcasts or other TV6 content. You can subscribe to our YouTube page or download TV6+ to stream the latest local news and weather.
Copyright 2025 WLUC. All rights reserved.
