For the responsible use of space Driven by a passion for space environmentalism, we are the first private company to offer space debris removal services to assure orbital sustainability and secure long-term spaceflight safety for the benefit of future generations. www.astroscale.com The impact of space debris Society depends on services from satellites. Every day ranging in size from spent rocket bodies and people around the world use satellites to exchange inoperable satellites as big as a city bus, to tiny paint messages, talk to family and friends, check the chips a millimeter wide, are speeding around Earth weather, manage finances, and undertake numerous at approximately 27,000 kilometers per hour, not other tasks. In addition to these daily activities, only polluting space but endangering active satellite satellites are used to manage and mitigate natural operations. It is also anticipated that thousands more disasters, monitor the Earth’s climate and well-being, satellites will be launched in the next 10-15 years, up and support the safety and security of citizens. In to three times the amount that have been launched short, without satellite data, the lives of people all in the past 60 years. To maintain a sustainable orbital around the world would be dramatically different. environment, we need to limit further debris from Now, these satellite services are being threatened. being added to orbit as well as remove debris that Millions of pieces of debris, all human-made and already exists. The solution Astroscale is developing two product families: End-of-Life Services by Astroscale (ELSA) 1 Prepare future satellites with a docking mechanism before launch that will allow for eventual removal from orbit by a servicing mission. Assuring all satellites have a means of deorbit will improve long-term orbital sustainability and ensure safety of future satellite operations. Active Debris Removal (ADR) Removing debris that is currently in orbit requires 2 a “non-cooperative” solution as this debris was not prepared for deorbit before launch. Astroscale is partnering with national space agencies and international organizations to research and develop missions that incorporate innovative solutions for docking and removal of environmentally critical debris such as used rocket upper stages and defunct satellites. The primary customers for this service will be space agencies. 2 For the responsible use of space The impact of space debris The technology Our technology demonstration mission, ELSA-d is scheduled to be launched in 2020 and will prove our capabilities in providing an end-to-end solution for space debris removal, including: Find and Approach Satellite Proximity 1 Optimized approach for locating 2 Operations and making in-situ observations Relative navigation to rendezvous of object orbit and characteristics with object using optical sensors and distributed data processing Docking Deorbit 3 Magnetic docking with client 4 Use of advanced Collision satellite using ferromagnetic plate Avoidance Manoeuvres, to pacify and deorbit debris Ground segment operations for in-orbit servicing In 2018, Astroscale UK was part of £4 million grant from the UK Government to lead the establishment of a National In-Orbit Servicing Control Facility at the Satellite Applications Catapult in Harwell, Oxfordshire. The National In-Orbit Servicing Control Facility will support advanced robotics activities in the hostile environment of space, specifically enabling the provision of a commercial service for deorbiting small satellites. The new facility will initially control Astroscale’s pioneering ELSA-d mission, the first project to demonstrate the core rendezvous, docking and deorbit technologies used by the ELSA program. www.astroscale.com 3 About us Astroscale was founded by an IT entrepreneur who Astroscale is an international company and we bring is using a start-up mentality to address the business a global mindset to our activities. Headquartered in of orbital debris mitigation. Our growing team, now Japan, we also have offices in Singapore, the UK and with nearly 70 people, comes from a strong technical the US. Our experienced team has joined us from background. Over 75% of the team are engineers, but space agencies, government ministries, start-ups and we also have many people focused on the important aerospace industry from around the world. We are issues of business development, policy and public uniquely suited to solving the technical, policy and outreach. business case issues around space debris removal. Japan Singapore United Kingdom United States HEADQUARTERS OPENI 1-16-4 Kinshi Sumida-ku Marina One East Tower Rutherford Appleton E N C G Tokyo, Japan Singapore Laboratory, Harwell Didcot I F 130-0013 018936 OX11 OQX, United Kingdom F 9 O 1 A 2 0 TEL: +81-3-6658-8175 TEL: +65-6911-6978 TEL: +44-1235-395359 P RI L www.astroscale.com.