Astroscale

Astroscale was founded in 2013 by Nobu Okada with a mission to secure long-term sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company has grown to become one of only a handful of commercial organizations worldwide with proven Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking (RPOD) capabilities demonstrated in orbit — the enabling technology for all on-orbit servicing applications.

Astroscale operates across four main solution categories. Inspect solutions — represented by the ADRAS-J mission — enable safe approach, characterization, and assessment of non-cooperative or tumbling space objects, including existing debris. Service solutions — including the ELSA-M life extension vehicle — enable satellite mission continuity through repositioning, refueling, or other in-orbit services. Remove solutions address end-of-life satellite disposal and active debris removal to protect critical orbital slots and reduce collision risk. The company's Docking Plate provides a standardized interface pre-installed on new satellites, enabling future servicing at lower cost.

The ADRAS-J mission, contracted by JAXA under its Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration (CRD2) program, achieved the world's first safe approach and close-proximity rendezvous with a large piece of existing orbital debris (a Japanese H-IIA rocket upper stage). Astroscale's ELSA-M program — contracted by OneWeb/Eutelsat for multi-client life extension — is in development for LEO constellation operators.

Astroscale operates globally with offices in the United Kingdom (Oxfordshire), United States, France, and Israel, building toward a circular space economy where satellites are maintained, upgraded, repositioned, and retired through routine on-orbit servicing rather than being treated as single-use assets.