Astroscale is a public, on-orbit servicing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, committed to the safe and sustainable development of space. As the first private company dedicated to in-orbit servicing across all orbits, Astroscale develops innovative solutions for end-of-life services, active debris removal, in-situ space situational awareness, and life extension of satellites. They work with government and commercial stakeholders like JAXA, U.S. Space Force, ESA, and OneWeb to develop norms and technologies for responsible space operations, aiming to mitigate the growing hazard of space debris.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Astroscale opened Astroscale France and formed a partnership with Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) in June 2023 that includes a funded study for active debris removal of French space debris.
Philippe Blatt will drive growth at Astroscale France by building a team to collaborate closely with CNES and other stakeholders.
Astroscale France plans to set up satellite assembly, integration, and testing facilities in Toulouse with space to hire up to approximately 30 personnel.
In 2021 Astroscale used a magnetic mechanism on a 175-kilogram demonstrator to attach to and then detach from a 17-kilogram client craft that launched with it.
Astroscale intends to use a variant of a servicer with a mass of a few hundred kilograms launching in 2025 for its End of Life Services by Astroscale-Multiple (ELSA-M) mission.
The British subsidiary of Astroscale completed its system requirements review for a 2026 U.K. debris-removal mission on 2023-10-10 after meeting the UK Space Agency in August to review technical requirements including the initial design of a robotic arm.
The Economic Impact Report projects that Astroscale’s activities will support over 12,000 high-skilled, high-paid jobs across the UK.
Astroscale UK plans to hold the COSMIC preliminary design review in January 2024.
Astroscale UK’s Harwell facility includes satellite integration cleanrooms, mission operations facilities, and offices for 180 staff.
Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, officially opened Astroscale UK’s premises on 27 September 2022.
Astroscale UK’s Harwell facility includes satellite integration cleanrooms, mission operations facilities, and offices for 180 staff.
Astroscale UK operates a dedicated facility at the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.
Nobu Okada, CEO and Founder of Astroscale, visited the Astroscale UK office in summer 2023.
The Economic Impact Report projects that Astroscale will support over 12,000 high-skilled, high-paid jobs across the UK.
Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, officially opened Astroscale UK’s Harwell premises on 27 September 2022.
The Economic Impact Report projects that Astroscale’s activities will support more than 12,000 high-skilled, high-paid jobs across the UK.
Astroscale UK opened a dedicated UK facility at the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire on the anniversary referenced in the report.
The specific debris target for the Astroscale France and Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales funded study will be determined in early 2024.
Astroscale U.S. was awarded a U.S. $25,500,000 contract by Space Systems Command to deliver a servicing vehicle prototype that will provide in-space refueling for compatible satellites.
Astroscale closed its Series G funding round with additional funding of U.S. $7,500,000 from Mizuho Bank on 2023-10-06.