ClearSpace selected by UKSA to deliver UK’s first national active debris removal mission
ClearSpace has been selected by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) as prime contractor to deliver the UK’s first nationally commissioned active debris removal mission, the UK Active Debris Removal mission (UK ADR).
The mission will remove two UK-registered defunct satellites from low earth orbit, demonstrating the ability to approach, capture and safely remove objects that were not designed for servicing. Targeted for operations in 2029, UK ADR will establish critical UK flight heritage in the technologies that underpin future in-orbit servicing missions.
The appointment marks an important step in the development of the UK’s national in-orbit servicing capability. Led from the UK and delivered with partners across the United Kingdom's space sector, the mission will demonstrate advanced autonomous guidance, navigation and control, alongside capture technologies capable of safely interacting with unprepared objects in orbit. These capabilities are essential to the development of a wider UK, and coming global market for In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM).
UK Space Minister Liz Lloyd said: “Space junk and debris pose an immense and growing challenge but with our homegrown expertise, the UK is determined to lead the global effort to clean up space.
“By backing this world first mission, we will protect the satellites that underpin modern life from keeping us connected with loved ones and delivering accurate weather forecasts to keeping our country safe.
“This is our Space Strategy in action: giving British firms the support and clear direction they need to turn bold ideas into cutting-edge innovation, strengthen our world-class satellite sector and drive economic growth across the country.”
Luc Piguet, CEO and co-founder of ClearSpace, said: "Being selected by the UKSA as prime contractor for the UK Active Debris Removal mission is an important milestone for ClearSpace. Taking responsibility for delivering complex in-orbit operations for our customers is exactly where we want to be, and UK ADR brings that into operational delivery for a national customer.
“The mission joins a portfolio spanning inspection, proximity operations, capture, debris removal and life extension. We look forward to working closely with the UKSA to deliver it, and to building the flight heritage a future in-orbit services market will depend on."
Rob Atchison, Managing Director of ClearSpace UK, said: "UK ADR will be delivered here in the UK. Our team brings together engineers and specialists from across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as allies and partners, and as the programme progresses we will create more highly specialised roles in rendezvous and proximity operations, guidance, navigation and control, robotics, spacecraft systems and mission operations.
“Our next step is to design, build and test a spacecraft that can get close, safely, to an object never designed to be caught, and take control of it. We will do this with partners across the UK supply chain, working towards launch in 2029."
Dr Alice Bunn, Co-Director of UK Space Agency, said: "This mission is about much more than removing debris. It is about developing the capabilities that will enable future servicing, assembly and manufacturing in orbit.
"The technologies being developed through ADR will help establish the UK's position at the forefront of a new generation of space services while supporting a sustainable future for activities in space."
Under the contract, UKSA will act as the government mission customer, defining the national mission requirement and overseeing performance against it, while ClearSpace will be responsible for the design, development and delivery of the mission as prime contractor. This customer–contractor approach represents an important development in the UK's procurement of national space capabilities, moving beyond funding innovation towards government acting as an institutional customer for nationally important space services.
The model also offers a potential pathway for future national space missions. By establishing clear operational requirements and competitively procuring industry to deliver them, government can help bridge the gap between technology development and repeatable commercial services, creating sustained institutional demand for the UK's growing in-orbit servicing sector.
The announcement follows the publication of the UK Space Strategy in September 2026, which identifies In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) as one of four priority subsectors for accelerated development, with an ambition to build UK flight heritage, strengthen national capability and support commercially sustainable services.
ClearSpace UK is expanding its engineering, programme and industrial capabilities to deliver UK ADR and future in-orbit servicing missions. Building on ClearSpace's experience developing advanced rendezvous and capture technologies, the UK team will work with partners across the national supply chain to strengthen domestic expertise, create highly specialised employment opportunities and establish the industrial capabilities required to support future in-orbit services.
UK ADR is targeted to begin active debris removal operations in 2029, subject to final mission and launch scheduling.
