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The End-of-Life Services by Astroscale (ELSA) program is a spacecraft retrieval service for satellite operators. ELSA-d (demonstration) is the first mission to demonstrate the core technologies necessary for debris docking and removal.

ELSA-d consists of two spacecraft: a servicer satellite (~175kg) and a client satellite (~17kg), launched stacked together. The servicer satellite has been developed to safely remove debris objects from orbit, equipped with proximity rendezvous technologies and a magnetic docking mechanism. The client satellite is a piece of replica debris fitted with a ferromagnetic plate that enables the docking.

The servicer will repeatedly release and dock with the client in a series of technical demonstrations, proving the capability to find and dock with defunct satellites and other debris. Demonstrations include client search, client inspection, client rendezvous, and docking.

Mission Overview

ELSA-d will demonstrate several capabilities and technologies needed for future on-orbit services. While the mission will prove technologies that can be directly applied to customers, there are some slight differences to a future servicing mission.

For the ELSA-d mission, the client is commandable, ensuring demonstrations can be tested in a simplified manner earlier in the mission. The Concept of Operations (ConOps) is designed to gradually increase the complexity and risk with each phase and can be adjusted because the servicer is launched together with the client.

Electromagnetic compatibility testing in February 2020

Pre-launch tests at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in February 2021

The team with ELSA-d at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in February 2021

ELSA d maneuver Ed Hutchinson IOSCC April 2022 (11)

ELSA d maneuver Al Colebourn Chris Walker IOSCC April 2022 (28)

ELSA d maneuver Al Colebourn Chris Walker Carmen Filosa Ed Hutchinson IOSCC April 2022 (48)

ELSA d maneuver Al Colebourn Carmen Filosa Ed Hutchinson IOSCC April 2022 (31)

Press Kit

Learn more about ELSA-d including key features, docking plate, mission ConOps, In-Orbit Servicing Control Centre, launch and more. Swipe for Japanese.