COSMIC Active Debris Removal Spacecraft
Astroscale U.S.
UK Space Agency-contracted active debris removal mission that will capture and deorbit two inactive British LEO satellites using a robotic arm, designed and integrated in the UK using domestic supply chain.
Technical specifications
- Mission Status
- Under development
- Customer
- UK Space Agency (UKSA)
- Target
- Two inactive British LEO satellites
- Capture Technology
- Robotic arm (extendable)
- Design & Integration
- UK-based, domestic supply chain
- Phase 2 Contract Award
- September 2024
About
COSMIC is Astroscale’s active debris removal mission contracted by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) as part of the UK’s national ADR initiative. The mission will deploy a servicer to remove two inactive British satellites in LEO using RPO and a robotic arm — a significant technological evolution beyond ELSA-M’s magnetic docking, enabling capture of unprepared legacy satellites.
The COSMIC servicer builds on ELSA-M’s architecture with an extendable robotic arm capable of grasping satellites that do not carry a Docking Plate. The spacecraft is fully designed and assembled in the UK using a domestic supply chain. Development milestones: Phase 0-A October 2021, Phase B September 2022, SRR October 2023, PDR April 2024, Phase 2 contract September 2024.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
