TAMPA, Fla. -- The British subsidiary of Japan's Astroscale is gearing up for a critical design review early next year for a servicer that aims to remove a OneWeb broadband satellite from low Earth orbit (LEO) in 2026.
Astroscale UK managing director Nick Shave reported significant progress, stating, "We've completed a lot of the subsystem level developments and we've bought a lot of the flight hardware." The 500-kilogram servicer for the ELSA-M program, or End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-Multiple, is currently in a "flatsat" phase, where its components are laid out on a clean room table for testing.
Shave noted that the guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) aspects of the program are complex, involving numerous rendezvous and proximity operations. A dedicated team of 40 in the UK is finalizing the flight software needed for the servicer to approach and capture a non-operational OneWeb spacecraft, which will then be directed to safely burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
The capture mechanism will be compatible with the magnetic docking plates on many of OneWeb's over 600 satellites. This demonstration is a precursor to a commercial de-orbit service that Astroscale aims to offer by the end of the decade, alongside other initiatives from companies like Switzerland's ClearSpace and Starfish of the United States.
After completing the critical design review and finalizing algorithms, Astroscale plans to integrate ELSA-M subsystems in 2025 for a projected launch in the second quarter of 2026. The mission faced delays as OneWeb, recently acquired by French fleet operator Eutelsat, secured a contract through a public-private partnership with the European Space Agency.
Shave emphasized the uniqueness of this mission, stating, "No company or nation has captured a spacecraft in orbit and removed it from orbit commercially." Funding for the project includes approximately $35 million from the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency, with Astroscale covering over 50% of the costs.
ELSA-M builds on the previous ELSA-d demonstration, which successfully released and recaptured a small LEO satellite in 2021. However, the ELSA-d servicer faced challenges, losing half its thrusters and leaving the client satellite in orbit to decay naturally.
Astroscale is currently in discussions with multiple launch providers for a ride to around 550 kilometers altitude, from where ELSA-M will use onboard electric propulsion to reach OneWeb’s operational orbit. Shave mentioned that SpaceX's Falcon 9 could be a potential launch option, but the decision between a dedicated launch and a shared ride is still under consideration.
The mission will involve selecting which satellite to de-orbit, with a target likely chosen on launch day. Shave confirmed that the servicer is equipped to perform multiple de-orbits, and Astroscale is also exploring additional missions related to space situational awareness and space traffic management.
Meanwhile, another Astroscale spacecraft is inspecting a discarded H-2A rocket stage as part of Japan's Active Debris Removal mission, with plans to remove the rocket body from LEO using a robotic arm.