Recovery Operations Engineer

Astroscale selects Isar Aerospace to launch ELSA-M In-Orbit Demonstration mission. Posted March 16, 2026 Posted in Mission Updates 16 March 2026 - Astroscale Ltd, the UK subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc., has selected Isar Aerospace to provide launch services for the ELSA-M In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) mission. The mission represents a major milestone in Astroscale's commercial end-of-life removal services and marks a critical step toward routine, scalable in-orbit servicing that supports a sustainable space environment. Under the new agreement, Isar Aerospace will launch the 520 kg ELSA-M servicer spacecraft, which will capture and remove an end-of-life Eutelsat OneWeb satellite. The mission will build on Astroscale's proven rendezvous and proximity operations expertise from the ELSA-d and ADRAS-J missions, and marks the first time Isar Aerospace will deploy a spacecraft dedicated to end-of-life servicing. "ELSA-M is a major step forward for commercial end-of-life services, building on Astroscale's flight-proven rendezvous and proximity operations capability," said Nick Shave, Managing Director of Astroscale UK. "Through missions such as ELSA-d and ADRAS-J, we have demonstrated safe, controlled approaches and robust relative navigation. With Isar Aerospace providing both launch flexibility and the orbital precision our rendezvous mission requires, we are ready to deliver an active debris removal service that will enable a more sustainable space environment and circular economy in space." The ELSA-M mission is supported by the UK Space Agency through the through the European Space Agency's programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) as part of the Sunrise Partnership Project, a public-private partnership with Eutelsat. The majority of the mission is self-funded by Astroscale. By partnering with Isar Aerospace, Astroscale continues to strengthen European in-orbit servicing capability and contribute to a more sustainable use of space. The ELSA-M mission forms a key part of Astroscale's roadmap toward operational services that help satellite operators remove unneeded spacecraft responsibly and reduce the growth of orbital debris. "We are thrilled to partner with Astroscale," said Stella Guillen, Chief Commercial Officer at Isar Aerospace. "The ELSA-M in-orbit demonstration mission will not only display the future of active debris removal, but already today shows why customers choose to launch with Isar Aerospace. We provide the flexibility to determine when payloads are launched and access to the specific target orbit customers require. This is our first involvement in an active debris removal mission, and we are proud to contribute to space sustainability by supporting Astroscale's pioneering activities," Astroscale is preparing for the launch and subsequent demonstration of ELSA-M as the company scales its in-orbit services, helping to unlock a circular space economy and a future with no waste in orbit.

Isar Aerospace opens second test site at Esrange Space Center. European space company Isar Aerospace is significantly expanding their testing operations with SSC Space at Esrange Space Center in Sweden, opening a second test site to support the development and production of its 'Spectrum' rocket. The new facility will enable testing of 30+ engines per month, along with expanded integrated stage testing capabilities, increasing testing capacity and enabling faster development. The purpose-built acceptance test facility will enable fully integrated stage acceptance testing, providing Isar Aerospace with greater flexibility and capability to meet growing market demand for launch services. The test sites are fully tailored to Isar Aerospace's own requirements, supporting the company's approach of vertically integrating launch vehicle development across design, manufacturing, testing, and operations. "Scaling reliable access to space requires not only advanced launch vehicle design but also the right infrastructure to support rapid development and production. With our second test facility at Esrange, we are unlocking new capabilities and accelerating our progress. The expanded site will allow us to test and qualify more engines and stages than ever before, supporting our ambition to make space access truly scalable. I would also like to thank the team at SSC Space for their professional partnership and collaboration," said Can Araz, Vice President Spectrum at Isar Aerospace. "We are proud to deepen our long-standing partnership with Isar Aerospace as they expand their engine and stage testing capabilities at Esrange. This new facility strengthens Europe's path toward scalable and reliable access to space, and it reflects the trust placed in our team's experience in advanced rocket testing. Together, we are building the infrastructure that will enable a new generation of launch services and support the growing needs of the European space market," said Mats Tyni, Director Business Development and Customer Operations, at SSC Space. Media assets (courtesy of Isar Aerospace): https://sscspace.canto.global/b/U16N4

Updated: second Isar Aerospace Spectrum flight set for 21 to 23 January. January 16, 2026 German launch services provider Isar Aerospace is preparing for the second flight of its two-stage Spectrum rocket, with a Notice to Mariners (NOTMAR) indicating launch opportunities from 21 to 23 January. Isar Aerospace launched its first Spectrum rocket in March 2025 from the Andøya Spaceport in Norway, but it failed less than a minute into flight. Less than nine months after that first flight, in December 2025, the company announced that it had successfully completed hot fire tests of both stages of the rocket for its second flight, marking the final hurdle before a launch attempt. On 12 January, Andøya Space published a temporary road closure notice for the flight from the Norwegian launch facility from 12 to 23 January. On 13 January, Andøya Space published a NOTMAR revealing that 15-minute launch windows would be available from 20 to 23 January between 21:05 and 21:20 CET. On 16 January, the company revealed that the flight, which it has dubbed Onward and Upward, would occur no earlier than 21 January. The 16 January release confirmed that the flight would be the first Spectrum flight to carry payloads as part of the company's involvement with the DLR Microlauncher Challenge. The German aerospace agency DLR launched the challenge in May 2020 to foster the development of sovereign launch capabilities, with funding provided through ESA's Boost! programme. In May 2021, Isar Aerospace was announced as one of two second-round winners, securing €11 million in funding. The funding did, however, come with the understanding that the company would launch two sets of payloads with a combined mass of no more than 150 kilograms each over its first two flights. The company ultimately opted not to carry the first set of payloads aboard the inaugural flight of Spectrum. In December 2021, Isar Aerospace announced that seven payloads had been selected to fly aboard Spectrum's debut flight. Given the time that has elapsed since their selection, it is unsurprising that the payload manifest has since been adjusted. Payloads from the Technical University Berlin, University of Maribor, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology remain, while payloads from the DLR Responsive Space Competence Center and the ZfT - Center for Telematics are no longer listed. The updated manifest also includes new payloads from EnduroSat, the TU Wien Space Team, and Dcubed. Isar Aerospace has also revealed that it is already working on Spectrum rockets for flights three through seven, indicating that the company aims to ramp up its launch cadence rapidly. Update: This article was update on 16 January to include the details from the 16 January Isar Aerospace press release. Keep European Spaceflight independent. Your donation will help European Spaceflight to continue digging into the stories others miss. Every euro keeps our reporting alive.