Astroscale UK’s next In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) spacecraft, ELSA-M, End-of-Life by Astroscale-Multiple, will be one of the few satellites to be fully designed, built, and tested in the UK, a clear indication of UK innovation and capabilities.
ELSA-M will be the world’s first commercial end-of-life service for prepared satellites, meaning satellites designed with technologies such as a docking interface that will enable removal.
The spacecraft has been designed and built at Astroscale’s UK facility, Zeus, on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire. Once fully integrated in the in-house clean room facilities, ELSA-M goes through several rounds of testing in the UK, covering environmental, hardware and software test campaigns.
Space Minister Liz Lloyd said:
“From design to final testing, I have seen firsthand how this spacecraft showcases the exceptional talent and facilities we have right here in the UK, from Harwell to Stevenage to Westcott.
Caption: Space Minister Liz Lloyd looking at ELSA-M the Astroscale UK Cleanroom
“As we look to the future, keeping space sustainable isn't just an environmental priority - it's essential for the services millions of people rely on every day. I'm proud that UK expertise is leading the way in solving one of the space sector's most pressing challenges."
First off, the spacecraft is sent to RAL Space on the Harwell Campus, to the National Satellite Test Facility. There, mass properties and acoustic testing form the opening phase of the environmental test campaign, determining the centre of mass and confirming the spacecraft can comfortably withstand the noise levels of launch.
Caption: Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT), Schedule of ELSA-M testing
Johnny Hope-Smith, Test Project Manager at RAL Space:
“Completing the initial environmental test campaign for ELSA-M at RAL Space’s National Satellite Test Facility marks a significant milestone for this UK-developed mission. Working with Astroscale, also based here on the Harwell Campus, showcases the strength of the UK space community and our ability to deliver world-class testing. We’re proud to have supported this phase and look forward to working with the team again during the upcoming EMC campaign later in the year.”
Next ELSA-M will be sent to Airbus in Stevenage for Vibration and Thermal Vacuum Testing, putting the spacecraft through launch and space environment simulations.
After testing at Airbus, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing begins back at Harwell, the plan is to split the test between Astroscale (Zeus) and RAL facilities. This test will ensure the different electrical units on the spacecraft will not interfere with one another.
Back at Zeus, the final Full Functional Test (FFT) will take place, ensuring ELSA-M is fully functional and ready for flight. Finally, the last System Validation Test (SVT) will be carried out. This test checks all subsystems are communicating as expected, end-to-end tests for sending commands from the ground to the satellite and ensuring the whole space and ground segment are working in synchrony.
Joshua King, Telecommunications Investment Lead at the UK Space Agency, said:
“ELSA-M is a brilliant example of the UK’s leadership in satellite communications and in‑orbit services from start to finish. This world-first commercial end-of-life service, designed, built and tested entirely in the UK, strengthens the resilience of the space‑based systems our society depends on, from broadband connectivity to secure government communications. The UK Space Agency is proud to support Astroscale’s ELSA-M mission to keep space safe and usable for generations to come and demonstrates our commitment to a sustainable, reliable, and competitive UK satellite communications sector.”
In the meantime, over at the Satellite Applications Catapult’s ISAM Facility at Westcott, testing on the Rendezvous and Proximity Operation (RPO) on the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) testbed will conclude the whole test campaign for ELSA-M.
Caption: Pre-testing of RPO on GNC testbed at Westcott at Satellite Applications Catapult
The picture above shows the Astroscale team at a pre-test at Westcott ahead of the final visit at the end of the campaign. This testing checks both hardware and software are working as expected for the GNC subsystem, verifying software algorithms and confirming sensors and actuators are working together. The ELSA-M IOD spacecraft will be operated by Astroscale UK from their in-house mission operations in Zeus.
Every aspect of ELSA-M's testing campaign will take place in the UK. This is a clear illustration of the UK's commitment to growing the space industry. Reported by London Economics in an independent economic impact study, ELSA-M’s scaled-up service (with multiple assets in orbit), will deliver huge economic growth with a £23 per £1 return on public investment.
Keep an eye on the X channel @Astroscale_UK to see the latest updates on the ELSA-M test campaign as they come in!
