Astroscale

Astroscale's services are built around rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), enabling spacecraft to safely approach, inspect, service, and remove other objects in orbit.

Mission and vision

• Vision: Secure and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations.
• Mission: Provide trusted and value-driven on-orbit servicing solutions through local commitment and global scale to empower the circular space economy.

Why space sustainability matters

• Modern life depends on space infrastructure, from communications and navigation to climate monitoring and emergency response.
• Launch activity is increasing, making key orbits more crowded and vulnerable.
• Orbital debris and non-cooperative objects create safety, security, and environmental risks.
• Astroscale focuses on technologies, policies, and partnerships that treat space as essential infrastructure to be actively managed and maintained.

Customers and partners

Astroscale works with government space agencies, defense organizations, and commercial satellite operators worldwide, including (as publicly referenced on the website):

• National space agencies and defense organizations
• Commercial satellite operators and constellation providers
• International and industry bodies focused on space safety and sustainability

The company collaborates globally to build the foundations of a circular space economy.

The core solution areas described on the website are:

Inspect

On-orbit inspection and assessment for complex missions and operations.

Typical objectives include:

• Safely approaching and characterizing client spacecraft or debris objects.
• Gaining visual and sensor-based insight into a satellite's condition and behavior.
• Supporting anomaly resolution, health assessment, and mission planning.

Inspection capabilities are demonstrated by missions such as ADRAS-J, which aims to safely approach and characterize a large piece of existing orbital debris.

Service

Advanced servicing to extend the operational life or enhance the resilience of spacecraft.

Service missions may include:

• Supporting life extension concepts.
• Enabling repositioning or adjustments in orbit.
• Helping operators maintain continuity of critical services by enabling on-orbit intervention.

(Concrete service configurations, pricing, and specific contract terms are not published on the website and must be confirmed directly with Astroscale.)

Remove

Capture and deorbit inactive spacecraft and debris to reduce congestion and risk in key orbits.

Removal services are designed to:

• Mitigate collision risks posed by large debris or defunct satellites.
• Support compliance with emerging space debris mitigation and end-of-life guidelines.
• Protect critical orbital infrastructure for government, defense, and commercial users.

Examples referenced on the website include debris removal missions and technology demonstrations such as ELSA-d and follow-on concepts.

Use cases

Astroscale's on-orbit servicing solutions support:

• Government and civil space agencies seeking to manage debris and safeguard national infrastructure.
• Defense and security customers needing resilient and secure space capabilities.
• Commercial operators managing large constellations or high-value satellites in crowded orbits.

Details of specific mission configurations, timelines, or commercial terms are not provided on the public website and should be discussed directly with Astroscale.

Headquarters (Japan)

Astroscale Holdings Inc. / Astroscale Japan Inc. Hulic Kinshicho Collabo Tree 4-17-1 Kinshi Sumida-ku Tokyo 130-0013 Japan

Other offices

Based on the public website, Astroscale has offices and teams in:

• United Kingdom
• United States
• France
• Israel

Specific street addresses for these offices are not listed on the pages used to build this document. For the most accurate and up-to-date office details, contact Astroscale directly or refer to any office-specific information they provide.

Contacting Astroscale

General contact form

The primary contact method published on the website is an online contact form.

Typical fields in the form include:

• Email address
• Company
• First and last name
• Request type
• Subject and message

To reach Astroscale, visitors are instructed to submit their inquiry through this form on the official website.

Newsletter subscription

The website also offers the option to subscribe to an Astroscale newsletter to receive updates and news. Users can opt in or opt out as part of the contact process.

What is not published

• No direct phone numbers are listed on the pages used to create this document.
• No direct email aliases for sales, support, or press are provided in those pages.

For specific departments, media inquiries, or commercial discussions, customers should use the official contact form and any additional channels that Astroscale may provide in future communications.

The company emphasizes:

• Contributing to space sustainability and protecting Earth's orbital environment.
• Direct impact on services that billions of people rely on (such as communications, navigation, and other space-enabled infrastructure).
• A collaborative, international environment with colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds.

Roles and disciplines

The website lists a variety of open positions across regions and disciplines, for example:

• Engineering roles (e.g., AIV/AIT engineers and managers, flight dynamics, digital electronics, computer vision, ground segment).
• Policy, strategy, and public affairs roles.
• Other technical and non-technical positions that support on-orbit servicing missions.

Specific openings, locations, and employment terms change over time and are maintained on the careers section of the official website.

Company values

Astroscale highlights several core values that guide its work and culture:

1. Mission and People Focused – Pursuing the mission while supporting personal and professional growth and healthy priorities.
2. Innovative and Pioneering – Stretching the bounds of possibility and learning from both successes and failures.
3. Diverse – Embracing a variety of thinking, beliefs, and ways of life across an international, open-minded, and inclusive team.
4. Transparent – Encouraging open communication and feedback at all levels and across global locations.
5. Customer Focused – Working closely with customers, building long-term partnerships, and focusing on solving real problems.

How to apply

• Open positions are listed on Astroscale's careers page.
• Interested candidates can review role descriptions and submit applications via the careers section of the official website.

Compensation details, benefits, and hiring timelines are not provided in the pages used to create this document and should be confirmed directly with Astroscale's recruitment team.

By installing the Docking Plate on a spacecraft, operators can make that spacecraft compatible with Astroscale's on-orbit services throughout its lifecycle.

Purpose and benefits

The Docking Plate is designed to:

• Make satellites service-ready for inspection, life extension, relocation, recovery, and active debris removal.
• Support more sustainable mission designs by enabling planned end-of-life operations.
• Help operators align with emerging international standards and best practices for space sustainability.

Key benefits described on the website include:

• In it for the long haul: Prepare for efficient upgrades, relocations, and recoveries with minimal additional cost and without needing in-house servicing interface design.
• Sustainability by design: Enable active debris removal and support sustainable operations from the start of a mission.
• Globally aligned: Work with Astroscale's in-country teams while benefiting from a global network and alignment with relevant international standards (for example, standards from groups such as CONFERS, the Space Safety Coalition, and the Space Sustainability Rating).
• Flight-proven trust: The Docking Plate concept has heritage from Astroscale's ELSA-d mission and subsequent flights, and is available as an off-the-shelf product.

Technical characteristics (high-level)

The website describes several physical and functional features at a high level, including:

• A de-coupled top plate and structural deck to help manage thermal stresses.
• A knurled reinforced rim to enable robotic grappling; compatible with multiple capture mechanisms, including magnetic and robotic.
• A simple three-bolt mounting approach designed for straightforward installation.

Detailed specifications, interface drawings, and performance data are not published. The website notes that a technical data sheet is available on request.

How to request more information

The website indicates that customers can request a download link to the Docking Plate technical data sheet. To obtain detailed technical information, interface requirements, and commercial terms, contact Astroscale directly through their official contact channels.

RPOD is the baseline technology that makes on-orbit servicing possible. It underpins missions such as:

• On-orbit inspection and characterization.
• Life extension and servicing.
• End-of-life and debris removal.

Operating safely near another object in space is technically demanding, particularly when clients may be non-communicative or tumbling and when conditions can change rapidly.

Three pillars of Astroscale's RPOD approach

Astroscale describes its RPOD technology around three key pillars:

1. SEE – Detection and tracking

• Ability to detect, track, and understand a client object from long range down to very close proximity.
• Multi-sensor approach combining, for example, visual cameras, infrared cameras, LiDAR, and laser range finders.
• Sensors work together to refine knowledge of a client's position, motion, and attitude, including for uncooperative or tumbling objects.

2. THINK – Onboard intelligence

• Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) algorithms enable onboard decision-making in real time.
• The spacecraft adapts its trajectory, responds to unexpected changes, and can execute controlled retreat maneuvers if needed.
• Built-in safety logic can trigger safe modes when conditions fall outside defined parameters.
• Ground operators supervise through predefined checkpoints and authorize transitions between mission phases.

3. ACT – Precision maneuvering

• Spacecraft are engineered with propulsion, thrusters, and reaction wheels enabling six-degrees-of-freedom control.
• This allows precise control of both position and orientation during proximity operations.
• Supports controlled, stable docking and interaction with a range of client satellites and capture mechanisms.

Benefits for operators

By leveraging RPOD technology, Astroscale aims to:

• Enable repeatable, reliable proximity operations in challenging orbital environments.
• Support a broad range of mission types (inspection, servicing, removal) using a common technology foundation.
• Reduce risk for operators considering on-orbit servicing as part of their mission design and lifecycle approach.

Specific performance parameters, safety margins, and mission configurations are not detailed on the public website and should be discussed directly with Astroscale for any particular mission concept.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.