The End-of-Life Services by Astroscale demonstration (ELSA-d) mission has been licenced by the UK Space Agency this week. The ELSA-d launch, scheduled for Saturday, March 20 2021, will mark the world's first commercial mission to demonstrate the core technologies and capabilities necessary for space debris docking and removal.

The ELSA-d mission presents a leading test case for licensing for future missions undertaking complex rendezvous operations in space, such as active debris removal. This licence approval by the UK marks an important regulatory advancement that places the UK Space Agency at the forefront of global licensing for in-orbit services and manufacturing (IOSM) missions.

The UK Space Agency has issued the space licences under the UK Outer Space Act for both the ELSA-d servicer and client spacecraft. This is the first time, the UK Space Agency has licensed a company for an In-Orbit Service / End of Life demonstration space mission which involves close proximity and docking operations of two lower Earth orbit spacecrafts.

Careful oversight and due diligence have enabled the ELSA-d mission to proceed to launch next week, whilst safeguarding the UK Government requirements. It is hoped this licence will pave the way for planned future Astroscale missions scheduled to deliver end-of-life and active debris removal services.

This precedent should also assist other in-orbit servicing space industry partners, both in the UK and internationally, to apply for licences under UK legislation and regulation.

Kumar Singarajah, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Astroscale UK said, "This UK licence approval for the ELSA-d mission operations is an important milestone in support of Astroscale's active debris removal commercial endeavours.

"This licence also positions the UK government as a global leader in support of commercially innovative in-orbit servicing programmes designed to safeguard the sustainable use of space. We would like to express our appreciation to the UK Space Agency for their highly professional, thorough and timely review process."

John Auburn, Managing Director of Astroscale UK and Co-Chair of the UKspace In-orbit services and manufacturing (IOSM) working group said, "In-orbit servicing and manufacturing capabilities are fundamental to long term space sustainability. Without effective in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, space risks being over-exploited and under-managed, to the detriment of everyone.

"The support of the UK Space Agency is vital to help drive forward the changes needed in our regulatory and licensing approaches on space safety both in the UK and internationally. A successful ELSA-d mission will be a significant step towards providing Astroscale services to customers in a thriving space economy and boost global efforts to ensure a sustainable space ecosystem for future generations."

The UK Space Agency confirmed that the ELSA-d mission licences came into effect on March 8.

Related Links
Astroscale
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

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