System Architect
About the job
- At least 10 years of experience in the spacecraft industry, including at least 5 years in technical leadership positions.
- Experience decomposing system requirements, conducting trade studies, and developing spacecraft system sizing and error budgets.
- Working knowledge of spacecraft operations and related ground systems.
- Familiarity with the full space program lifecycle, from business development, proposal generation, and contract negotiations through design, development, assembly, testing, and successful delivery.
- In-depth knowledge or practical expertise in at least three of the following areas: spacecraft system-level design and analyses; ground segment design and implementation; avionics and electronics; electrical systems and power; attitude and orbit control; propulsion; thermal and mechanical systems; fault detection, isolation, and recovery; spacecraft assembly, integration, and test; spacecraft launch and early orbit phase and in-orbit operations; manufacturing processes; launcher interfaces; and team leadership.
- Confidence leading multidisciplinary project teams.
- Experience working in a technical capacity on low Earth orbit, medium Earth orbit, or geostationary orbit spacecraft system definition and design.
- A proven track record of delivering complex space development programs.
- Comfort interacting with institutional customers, including UKSA and ESA, and commercial customers.
- Lead technical teams in end-to-end mission development activities across space, ground, and launch segments, including in-orbit operations.
- Manage the technical schedule day to day and ensure timely delivery of all elements needed to meet the program schedule.
- Manage the technical baseline and assess the impact of changes and non-conformances across the system.
- Own the technical risk register and cost.
- Identify, analyze, and derive technical, programmatic, and business requirements, constraints, and assumptions affecting missions.
- Define and analyze overall mission architectures.
- Coordinate domain experts to deliver full mission developments.
- Define and coordinate system-level engineering support activities across the spacecraft, and monitor and control interfaces between subsystems and spacecraft-launch vehicle and spacecraft-ground segment interfaces.
- Coordinate ground segment and operations engineering activities to ensure designs and development are compatible with the spacecraft and mission.
- Define and coordinate the system design, development, and verification philosophy, and implement the plan to ensure coherence across areas.
- Lead interactions with customers, partners, and subcontractors.
- Monitor and control technical work by subcontractors and ClearSpace's team on design, development, production, and assembly, integration, and testing at subsystem and system levels to ensure contractual requirements are met.
- Support anomaly and failure reviews at equipment, subsystem/system, and in-orbit levels, and develop solutions to identified problems.
- Support design reviews, evaluate declared compliance against system-level requirements, and monitor and control system-level budgets and analyses, keeping them up to date.
- Support in-orbit operations, including launch and early orbit phase and in-orbit testing.
- Support the Spacecraft Program Manager in negotiations concerning technical aspects of spacecraft and launcher contracts.
- Support the definition of ClearSpace's strategic direction.
- Support proposal writing for future business.
- A Master of Science degree in Aerospace, Engineering, Mechatronics, Physics, or a similar field.
- Willingness to collaborate wherever needed.
- Ability to work across geographically distributed teams.
About the company
ClearSpace removes space debris from Earth's orbit using autonomous robotic systems. The flagship mission ClearSpace-1 aims to capture derelict satellites and debris and remove them from orbit, reducing collision risk for future missions. It develops autonomous capture, disposal, and refueling/servicing capabilities under contracts with space agencies, including the ESA. Its goal is to make space activities safer and more sustainable by actively cleaning orbital debris and enabling longer-lived satellites.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$38.8M
Headquarters
Renens, Switzerland
Founded
2018
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- ESA signed a new Phoenix contract on 2026-09-22, advancing TRL 5.
- PRELUDE targets a 2027 launch, giving ClearSpace a second near-term flight.
- Intelsat collaboration and the €100 million Phoenix program create a path to commercial contracts.
What critics are saying
- ClearSpace-1 slipped to 2028 after ESA changed targets and simplified the industrial team.
- Until Phoenix docks an operational GEO satellite, ClearSpace sells promises, not recurring revenue.
- If first capture or docking fails, ESA funding credibility and the entire servicing thesis collapse.
What makes ClearSpace unique
- ESA keeps funding ClearSpace because Phoenix docks with satellites never designed for servicing.
- ClearSpace spans debris removal, inspection, proximity ops, and GEO life-extension across one platform.
- Its docking architecture adapts to client satellites, not a new servicing standard.
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Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
-4%1 year growth
-4%2 year growth
-6%Europe warns of orbital collisions as startups race to clean up space. A new European report raises alarms over rising orbital collision risks, while companies like ClearSpace, Astroscale, and Indian startups Digantara and Manastu Space push debris-removal solutions. A new European report has raised serious alarms about the growing risk of orbital collisions as Earth's skies become increasingly crowded with satellites and debris. With mega-constellations like Starlink and OneWeb expanding rapidly, regulators warn that orbital traffic is approaching unsustainable levels. The report highlights the danger of cascading debris events - the Kessler Syndrome - where one collision triggers a chain reaction of further crashes. Such a scenario could cripple communications, navigation, and Earth-observation satellites, undermining critical infrastructure worldwide. European space agencies are calling for urgent action: stricter space-traffic management, mandatory deorbiting timelines, and accelerated investment in debris-removal technologies. The report also stresses the need for international coordination, noting that orbital space is a shared global resource. This warning comes as a new wave of companies step up to tackle the debris challenge. Europe's ClearSpace is developing robotic missions to capture and deorbit defunct satellites, while Japan's Astroscale is testing magnetic docking systems for debris removal. India too has emerging players: startups like Manastu Space and Digantara are building propulsion and space-situational awareness solutions, aiming to make debris tracking and removal more affordable and scalable. These ventures highlight how innovation is spreading globally, with Indian firms positioning themselves as key contributors to orbital safety.
ClearSpace signs ESA contract to advance Phoenix GEO life-extension mission. Building on development supported by Luxembourg, the new phase with ESA will mature Phoenix's rendezvous, docking and servicing technologies towards commercial GEO life-extension services. Luxembourg, 23 September 2026. ClearSpace has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the next phase of Phoenix, its GEO satellite life-extension mission. Phoenix is being developed to enable a servicing spacecraft to rendezvous with and dock to an operational satellite, providing additional propulsion and attitude-control capability. By taking over functions such as station-keeping and repositioning, Phoenix is designed to help satellite operators extend the useful life and operational value of assets already in orbit, while also supporting responsible end-of-life operations. The broader Phoenix development programme is currently estimated at approximately €100 million. The newly signed contract supports the next stage of this development, advancing the mission architecture and the core rendezvous, proximity operations, docking and servicing technologies required for future commercial operations. The activity is funded under ESA's Industrial Competitiveness programme line within the Agency's Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme. The agreement marks an important progression for Phoenix, building on the programme's development done by ClearSpace Luxembourg with the support of the Government of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA). Luxembourg's early support enabled ClearSpace and its industrial partners to develop the Phoenix concept, establish its technical foundations and demonstrate the potential of satellite life extension as a future in-orbit service. The new phase under ESA ARTES provides a European framework through which these technologies can be further matured and brought closer to operational and commercial deployment. At the centre of Phoenix is ClearSpace's versatile new docking capability, designed to allow a servicing spacecraft to establish a safe, predictable and secure mechanical connection with a satellite already operating in geostationary orbit from first touch to firm connection. ClearSpace's docking capability provides one seamless path from contact to control. Reliable docking is a critical capability for satellite life extension. Once connected, a servicing spacecraft can provide propulsion and attitude-control support for station-keeping, repositioning and end-of-life operations, opening the possibility of extending the productive lifetime of valuable space assets. Laurent Jaffart, Director of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity at ESA said: "ESA is dedicated to helping Europe build the capabilities needed for the next generation of in-orbit services. In cooperation with our Member States and European industry, we're taking Phoenix to the next level by working to mature the dual-use technologies that will deliver clear benefits for sustainability, resilience, and the competitiveness of Europe's space industry. Together, we will strengthen our position in this emerging market." Luc Piguet, CEO and co-founder of ClearSpace, said: "Phoenix is the result of a shared ambition to make in-orbit servicing a practical and valuable capability for satellite operators. ClearSpace is deeply grateful to ESA, to Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Space Agency, and to the Member States whose continued commitment to European space capabilities has made this progress possible. Their support has allowed ambitious ideas to be transformed into technologies, missions and increasingly tangible services. "We are fully committed to the mission: working with ESA, its Member States, our industrial partners and our customers to build a safe, competitive and commercially sustainable European in-orbit servicing capability." The next phase of Phoenix will further mature the mission architecture, docking system and associated rendezvous and proximity operations required to deliver GEO life-extension services. Phoenix forms part of ClearSpace's growing in-orbit servicing portfolio, spanning inspection, rendezvous and proximity operations, capture, active debris removal and satellite life extension. About Phoenix Phoenix is ClearSpace's programme to develop life-extension services for satellites in geostationary orbit. The mission is designed to rendezvous with and dock to an operational satellite, providing additional propulsion and attitude-control capability to extend its useful life. Following its initial development with support from Luxembourg, Phoenix is entering its next stage under the European Space Agency's ARTES programme, advancing the technologies and mission architecture required for commercially viable GEO servicing. Phoenix is being developed around an adaptable servicing architecture designed to work across different spacecraft platforms and operational scenarios. This flexibility is important to the commercial model: the same core servicing technologies must be capable of addressing a diverse GEO satellite fleet and evolving alongside future spacecraft platforms. 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. ClearSpace was founded in Switzerland and is headquartered in Luxembourg, with teams operating across Europe in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Germany and France. Its missions include ClearSpace-1, ESA's Active Debris Removal mission; PRELUDE, an in-orbit inspection and proximity operations mission; and Phoenix, focused on extending the operational life of satellites in geostationary orbit. About ESA's ARTES Industrial Competitiveness programme The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe's gateway to space, coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its Member States to conduct space programmes and activities. The Industrial Competitiveness programme line of ESA's Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) maintains and improves competitiveness for European and Canadian satellite communications industries. It is designed to support the innovative development of technology, products and systems by reducing costs and time-to-market, as well as the development of sustainable systems from ground to in-orbit validation. Through its two components, ARTES Technology and Growth and ARTES Partnership Projects, this programme enables organisations to transform promising concepts into market-ready solutions, covering the entire development cycle. ClearSpace Media contact Hyeonsook Hong Kaiser (She/Her) [email protected] +352 28 51 89 28 Luxembourg
Space around Earth is growing dangerously congested with defunct satellites and debris, prompting companies like Astroscale and ClearSpace to develop removal technologies they believe could become a major industry. The problem is accelerating — even without new launches, debris would continue multiplying as objects fragment faster than they naturally re-enter the atmosphere, according to the European Space Agency's Tim Flohrer. This forces active satellites to perform increasing collision-avoidance manoeuvres. Tokyo-listed Astroscale has demonstrated magnetic docking technology and reported 142% revenue growth last year, though it remains unprofitable and relies heavily on government grants. ClearSpace raised €26 million in 2023 for its debris-capture satellite. Both firms see broader opportunities in satellite servicing, repair and life extension. However, the market remains nascent and government-backed. Industry leaders argue that regulation requiring satellite decommissioning would create commercial demand for their services.
UK launches $1.3M competition for military space technologies. The UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) has launched a new funding competition to support technologies aimed at strengthening the country's military space capabilities against emerging threats. The latest Space to Innovate: Delta Drop competition offers up to 985,000 pounds ($1.3 million) in funding for projects lasting up to 18 months that address defense and security challenges in space. The program, delivered in partnership with the UK Space Agency and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, is the fourth round of the Space to Innovate initiative, which has awarded more than 4.2 million pounds ($5.6 million) to 19 organizations since its launch in 2021. The funding supports capabilities that could provide future military capabilities but may struggle to secure commercial investment. This year's competition is seeking technologies that improve sensor-to-response capabilities for space domain awareness, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and communications, with the goal of enhancing coverage and reducing response times. It also centers on systems that enable satellites and other space platforms to protect themselves against hostile actions, as well as solutions that improve resilience against ground-based electromagnetic threats. UK expands investment in military space capabilities. The latest competition builds on a series of UK initiatives aimed at strengthening space defense capabilities. In June, Shield Space and ClearSpace signed an agreement to jointly develop sovereign technologies to protect British satellites, providing end-to-end services for government and defense space missions. Earlier, in November 2025, Raytheon UK won a contract to support the country's space domain awareness mission through orbital analysis and its NORSSTrack satellite-tracking software. In October, the UK announced plans to develop sensors capable of detecting laser threats against satellites.
The Zurich-based startup launched its platform four months ago to help engineering and design talent showcase their projects, find opportunities and connect to like-minded peers. The $1.6M pre-seed funds will enable the startup to solidify its business idea and identify a product market fit.