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ClearSpace and Astroscale both work on removing debris and retired satellites from orbit, each with its own space agency partner (ESA for ClearSpace, JAXA for Astroscale) and with different capture technologies.
| Metric | ClearSpace | Astroscale |
|---|---|---|
| Founded[2,4] | 2018 (Switzerland) | 2013 (Singapore) |
| Headquarters[2,4,5] | Luxembourg (operations in Switzerland, the UK, Germany and Luxembourg) | Tokyo, Japan (subsidiaries incl. the UK, U.S. and France) |
| CEO[2,4] | Luc Piguet (co-founder) | Nobu Okada (founder) |
| Private funding on record | $29M raised privately | $349M raised privately before listing |
| Public / Private[5] | Private | Public (Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market, listed June 5, 2024) |
| Capture Approach[1,4] | Four robotic arms to grip an object that was never designed to be captured | Magnetic docking plate fitted to client satellites (ELSA-d), plus rendezvous with uncooperative debris (ADRAS-J) |
| Demonstrations Flown[4] | None yet | ELSA-d (launched Mar 22, 2021; first docking test Aug 25, 2021); ADRAS-J (launched Feb 2024 on Electron) |
| Flagship Removal Mission[1,3,4] | ClearSpace-1 for ESA: remove the 95 kg PROBA-1 satellite; launch planned 2029 (ESA) or 2028 (ClearSpace); OHB leads the industrial team | ADRAS-J2 for JAXA: deorbit a spent H-IIA upper stage, launch planned 2027 |
| ClearSpace-1 Target Change[1] | Original target, a Vega Vespa adapter, was dropped for PROBA-1 (ESA, April 2024) after debris was found near it | N/A |
| ADRAS-J Result[4] | N/A | Approached an H-IIA upper stage to about 15 m and flew a full circle around it (2024) |
| Primary Agency Partner[2,3,4] | ESA; also the UK Space Agency (CLEAR mission) | JAXA (Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration); UK (ELSA-M with Eutelsat OneWeb, ESA and UKSA) |
| Other Missions[3,4] | PRELUDE with ESA (launch targeted 2027); Phoenix GEO life-extension mission | ELSA-M (no earlier than 2028) |
Figures as of Feb 9, 2026 (auto-updated daily from company profiles). Information only, not investment advice. Full disclaimer
ClearSpace's ClearSpace-1 spacecraft uses four robotic arms to capture an object that was never designed to be serviced, then brings it down for a safe reentry. ESA is developing the mission as an in-orbit demonstration, with OHB leading the industrial team and ClearSpace providing the capture work. Its target is now ESA's 95 kg PROBA-1 satellite, launched in 2001; ESA plans the launch for 2029.[1]
Astroscale's ELSA-d, launched on March 22, 2021, paired a servicer with a client carrying a ferromagnetic plate, and performed its first release and docking test on August 25, 2021. That approach needs satellites to carry the plate before launch. For debris that was never prepared, Astroscale flew ADRAS-J, launched on Rocket Lab's Electron in February 2024, which approached a Japanese H-IIA upper stage to about 15 meters and flew around it. ADRAS-J2, planned for 2027, is meant to deorbit an H-IIA upper stage.[4]
Both companies work mainly for space agencies today. Astroscale, founded in 2013, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market on June 5, 2024; it works with JAXA on debris removal and, through its UK subsidiary, builds ELSA-M for Eutelsat OneWeb with ESA and the UK Space Agency. ClearSpace, founded in Switzerland in 2018 and now headquartered in Luxembourg, is private; besides ClearSpace-1 it leads the UK's CLEAR mission, the PRELUDE mission with ESA and the Phoenix life-extension mission.[2,3,4,5]
ClearSpace-1 was first meant to remove a Vega Vespa adapter; after objects were detected near that target, ESA approved a change to PROBA-1 in April 2024, and ESA now lists the launch as planned for 2029 (ClearSpace's site says 2028). Astroscale's ADRAS-J2 is planned for 2027 and ELSA-M for no earlier than 2028.[1,3,4]
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