UK launches world-first mission to clean up space junk. October 16, 2026 The UK is continuing its efforts to tackle space pollution with a new mission to remove two defunct satellites from orbit by 2032. This mission has received £60 million in government funding its in place to protect vital satellite services while strengthening Britain's position in the growing space industry. Announced on 15 October 2026, the UK Active Debris Removal (UK ADR) mission will use advanced robotic technology to capture and remove old satellites that could be a threat to spacecraft operating in orbit. The growing threat of space junk. Space debris is becoming a growing serious problem, with hundreds of thousands of tracked objects orbiting Earth at speeds of more than 17,000 miles per hour. Even relatively small pieces of debris can cause significant damage to satellites and other essential space infrastructure. Thousands of active satellites support services people rely on every day, including GPS navigation, weather forecasting, communications and national security. This is why removing dangerous debris is so important to keep these services safe and reliable. The UK ADR mission will capture two inactive satellites using large robotic claws before bringing them into a lower orbit, allowing them to burn up naturally as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere. Spacecraft set for 2029 launch. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2029 from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland. The site recently received £30 million in government funding to support the UK's independent launch capabilities. Designed with future missions in mind, the spacecraft will also be refuellable, potentially allowing it to support further satellite servicing and debris removal operations in the years ahead. The UK Space Agency is working with ClearSpace UK to deliver the mission, bringing together British engineers, researchers and industry specialists to develop the technology needed for safe robotic capture in space. Britain's space industry. Although these projects are focusing on cleaning up orbit they will also help develop the UK's expertise in repairing, refuelling and maintaining satellites. These activities form part of the In-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) sector, which is expected to grow into a billion-dollar industry within the next decade. The programme is also expected to support specialist jobs and strengthen supply chains across the country, from Southampton to Newcastle. The wider UK space sector is already worth £18.6 billion and supports more than 55,000 skilled jobs.

ClearSpace wins £61 million prime contract for UK dual-satellite Debris Removal mission. October 15, 2026 On Thursday, October 15, 2026, the U.K. government awarded Luxembourg-headquartered in-orbit servicing company ClearSpace a prime contract valued at approximately £61 million ($80 million) to deliver the final operational phase of its national Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission. Selected following a competitive procurement against bids from Astroscale and Starfish Space, ClearSpace will lead the design, manufacturing, and operational execution of a robotic spacecraft tasked with capturing and deorbiting two defunct British satellites. Procurement competition and program heritage. The contract award concludes a multi-year competitive evaluation overseen by the UK Space Agency to establish sovereign national capabilities in space sustainability and in-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM). ClearSpace previously executed technical feasibility studies alongside partner Orbit Fab to integrate in-space refueling capabilities under Phase 2 of the Clearing the LEO Environment with Active Removal (CLEAR) study, besting competing concepts including Astroscale's COSMIC debris removal architecture. The servicer's engineering baseline heavily leverages the capture architecture engineered by ClearSpace's Swiss division for an OHB-led European Space Agency (ESA) mission targeting the removal of the Proba-1 satellite, which is likewise scheduled to fly in 2029 following earlier orbital heritage on ClearSpace-1 launch agreements with Arianespace. Dual-Capture architecture and servicer specifications. The ADR spacecraft incorporates autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) avionics paired with multi-arm robotic manipulators: * Mission Profile: The servicer will perform orbital phasing to match trajectories with two undisclosed, non-cooperative U.K.-licensed satellites currently adrift in low Earth orbit (LEO). * Mechanical Capture: Uses robotic clamping mechanisms to grapple external structures of targets that lack standardized grappling fixtures or docking adapters. * Deorbit Trajectory: Following capture of the first derelict target, the spacecraft will lower the combined stack's perigee to accelerate atmospheric disposal, release the object into an orbital decay path, and subsequently boost its altitude to rendezvous with and capture the second satellite. Mission manifest and 2029 orbital schedule. ClearSpace UK will manage industrial delivery and mission operations, targeting launch in 2029. By demonstrating sequential capture and disposal across two discrete target spacecraft on a single mission, the program aims to qualify reusable orbital servicing architectures while mitigating debris collision hazards along congested low Earth orbit corridors.

ClearSpace selected by UKSA to deliver UK's first national active debris removal mission. ClearSpace will lead the design, development and delivery of the UK Active Debris Removal mission as prime contractor, removing two UK-registered satellites and establishing critical UK flight heritage in non-cooperative rendezvous, capture and removal technologies. LONDON, 15 OCTOBER 2026 ClearSpace has been selected by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) as prime contractor to deliver the UK's first nationally commissioned active debris removal mission, the UK Active Debris Removal mission (UK ADR). The mission will remove two UK-registered defunct satellites from low earth orbit, demonstrating the ability to approach, capture and safely remove objects that were not designed for servicing. Targeted to being operations in 2029, UK ADR will establish critical UK flight heritage in technologies that underpin future in-orbit servicing missions. The appointment marks an important step in the development of the UK's national in-orbit servicing capability. Led from the UK and delivered with partners across the British space sector, the mission will demonstrate advanced autonomous guidance, navigation and control alongside capture technologies capable of safely interacting with unprepared objects in orbit. These capabilities are essential to the development of a wider UK market for In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM). UK Space Minister Liz Lloyd said: "Space junk and debris pose an immense and growing challenge but with its homegrown expertise, the UK is determined to lead the global effort to clean up space. "By backing this world first mission, ClearSpace SA will protect the satellites that underpin modern life from keeping ClearSpace SA connected with loved ones and delivering accurate weather forecasts to keeping its country safe. "This is our Space Strategy in action: giving British firms the support and clear direction they need to turn bold ideas into cutting-edge innovation, strengthen our world-class satellite sector and drive economic growth across the country." Luc Piguet, CEO and co-founder of ClearSpace, said: "Being selected by the UKSA as prime contractor for the UK Active Debris Removal mission is an important milestone for ClearSpace. Taking responsibility for delivering complex in-orbit operations for its customers is exactly where ClearSpace SA want to be, and UK ADR brings that into operational delivery for a national customer. "The mission joins a portfolio spanning inspection, proximity operations, capture, debris removal and life extension. We look forward to working closely with the UKSA to deliver it, and to building the flight heritage a future in-orbit services market will depend on." Rob Atchison, Managing Director of ClearSpace UK, said: "UK ADR will be delivered here in the UK. Its team brings together engineers and specialists from across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as allies and partners, and as the programme progresses ClearSpace SA will create more highly specialised roles in rendezvous and proximity operations, guidance, navigation and control, robotics, spacecraft systems and mission operations. "Our next step is to design, build and test a spacecraft that can get close, safely, to an object never designed to be caught, and take control of it. We will do this with partners across the UK supply chain, working towards launch in 2029." Dr Alice Bunn, Co-Director of UK Space Agency, said: "This mission is about much more than removing debris. It is about developing the capabilities that will enable future servicing, assembly and manufacturing in orbit. "The technologies being developed through ADR will help establish the UK's position at the forefront of a new generation of space services while supporting a sustainable future for activities in space." Under the contract, UKSA will act as the government mission customer, defining the national mission requirement and overseeing performance against it, while ClearSpace will be responsible for the design, development and delivery of the mission as prime contractor. This customer-contractor approach represents an important development in the UK's procurement of national space capability, moving beyond funding innovation towards government acting as an institutional customer for nationally important space services. The model also offers a potential pathway for future national space missions. By establishing clear operational requirements and competitively procuring industry to deliver them, government can help bridge the gap between technology development and repeatable commercial services, creating sustained institutional demand for the UK's growing in-orbit servicing sector. The announcement follows the publication of the UK Space Strategy in September 2026, which identifies In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) as one of four priority subsectors for accelerated development, with an ambition to build UK flight heritage, strengthen national capability and support commercially sustainable services. ClearSpace UK is expanding its engineering, programme and industrial capabilities to deliver UK ADR and future in-orbit servicing missions. Building on ClearSpace's experience developing advanced rendezvous and capture technologies, the UK team will work with partners across the national supply chain to strengthen domestic expertise, create highly specialised employment opportunities and establish the industrial capabilities required to support future in-orbit services. UK ADR is targeted to begin active debris removal operations in 2029, subject to final mission and launch scheduling. Notes to editors About the UK Active Debris Removal mission The UK Active Debris Removal mission (UK ADR) is the UK's first national active debris removal mission, commissioned by UKSA under a £61 million contract. UKSA acts as the government mission customer, defining the mission requirement and overseeing delivery, with ClearSpace appointed as prime contractor to deliver the mission. UK ADR is designed to demonstrate UK capability and establish flight heritage in non-cooperative rendezvous, proximity operations, capture and removal of unprepared objects in orbit. These capabilities are relevant to the development of a wider UK In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing sector. The mission will remove two UK-registered defunct satellites from low Earth orbit and is targeted for operations in 2029, subject to final mission and launch scheduling. About ClearSpace ClearSpace is an in-orbit services company developing technologies and missions that enable safe, sustainable and economically valuable operations in space. Its capabilities span inspection, rendezvous and proximity operations, capture, active debris removal and satellite life extension. Headquartered in Luxembourg, ClearSpace operates across Europe, with teams in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Germany and France. Its mission portfolio includes ClearSpace-1, the European Space Agency's Active Debris Removal; PRELUDE, advancing in-orbit inspection and proximity operations; Phoenix, focused on extending the operational life of satellites in geostationary orbit; and UK ADR, the UK's first national active debris removal mission. ClearSpace UK is the UK business of ClearSpace, appointed by the BIST/UKSA as prime contractor for the UK Active Debris Removal mission (UK ADR). Based in Unit 3, Wool House, 74 Back Church Lane, London, E1 1LX and led by Managing Director Rob Atchison, ClearSpace UK will lead the design, development and delivery of UK ADR, working with partners across the UK space supply chain. Media Contact Hyeonsook Hong Kaiser (She/Her) [email protected] +44 204 551 89 11