Astroscale Holdings Inc.
Overview
Astroscale is the first private company solely dedicated to on-orbit servicing across all orbits with a mission to secure orbital safety in order to achieve long-term sustainability of the orbital environment for the next generation.
Since its foundation in 2013, the company has made significant technological progress toward launching on-orbit servicing to reduce and eliminate space debris that has been steadily increasing over time. These include End-of-Life (EOL) servicing to prevent satellites from becoming debris at the end of their operations, Active Debris Removal (ADR) servicing to eliminate existing debris, In-situ SSA (ISSA) servicing to observe and inspect malfunctioning machines or objects, and Life Extension (LEX) servicing.
In order to deliver a safe and sustainable space environment over the long term, the company is committed not only to technology development but also defining economics and working with government and commercial stakeholders to formulate space policies and best practice measures. Headquartered in Japan, Astroscale has an international presence with subsidiaries in Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Israel.
Our Mission: Develop innovative technologies, advance economics, and inform international policies that reduce orbital debris and support the long-term, sustainable use of space.
Our Vision: Safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations.
Background
Nobu Okada, Founder and CEO of Astroscale, was actively engaged in IT services and the consulting industry as a global business executive. However, just before turning 40, he remembered the message he had received from the first Japanese astronaut, Mamoru Mori, when he was in high school: "Space is waiting for your challenge." Shortly after, he started exploring opportunities for a startup in the space industry. After learning about the space debris problem at an academic conference in 2013, he came to realize that no one had any solution to tackle this pressing issue, and 10 days later, he founded Astroscale.
Feature
Astroscale is the world’s first private company offering on-orbit servicing across low-earth (LEO) and geostationary (GEO) orbits. As a pioneer in specialized on-orbit servicing, the company is committed to improving global regulatory framework and achieving technological advancement for the space industry while formulating and defining business cases, setting a new precedent.
In March 2021, the company launched ELSA-d, the world’s first commercial mission to prove the core technologies and capabilities necessary for space debris removal. Several groundbreaking on-orbit demonstrations have been completed by 2022, successfully proving the technologies necessary for capturing and removing pieces of space debris.
- Address
- 4-17-1, Kinshi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
- Established
- 2018年11月15日
