Ibadan, 24 April 2024, – Astroscale Ltd. (“Astroscale UK”), a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc, has announced the successful completion of the Preliminary Design Review phase with the UK Space Agency (UKSA) for its national Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission, COSMIC (Cleaning Outer Space Mission through Innovative Capture). The Company also recently partnered with Space Trash Signs, an initiative to visualize the consequences of space debris on different aspects of life on Earth – highlighting the imperative need for missions such as COSMIC.
The Space Trash Signs project highlights the vital satellite services that Astroscale is working to protect. Together, the collaborators consider the ramifications of “a day without satellites”, where the world grapples with the disruption of vital services. As a result, the mission milestone marks a crucial step forward in addressing the urgent issue of space debris threatening Earth’s orbital environment.
To address this challenging prospect, COSMIC aims to be the first UK national mission to remove two inactive British registered satellites currently orbiting Earth to demonstrate the potential of ADR technology. The UK’s leadership hopes to demonstrate on the global stage the necessary actions to secure the UK’s economic and environmental future in space. Astroscale is consequently proud to be part of this program, as it aims to push forward the commercial in-orbit servicing economy with innovative national capabilities, world-leading facilities and strategic partnerships throughout the UK space supply chain.
“With the completion of the Preliminary Design Review for the UK Space Agency’s ADR mission, we are happy to continue our work toward securing the space environment,” said Nick Shave, Managing Director of Astroscale UK. “The Astroscale COSMIC mission design represents a vital step in addressing the challenges posed by space debris and ensuring the sustainability of space activities for generations to come.”
