UK’s first national ADR mission targets 2029 launch
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is funding a new Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission with up to £60 million, aiming to capture two defunct UK‑registered satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and release them into lower altitudes where they will burn up in the atmosphere. The mission is expected to launch in 2029 from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland.
With more than 130 million pieces of space debris estimated to be orbiting Earth, collision risk to operational satellites is rising sharply. ADR is seen as a key step to protect the space infrastructure that underpins navigation, communications, weather forecasting and Earth observation.
Space Minister Liz Lloyd described the project as part of the UK’s Space Strategy, intended to turn “bold ideas into cutting‑edge innovation” while safeguarding satellites that modern life depends on.
ClearSpace UK to build robotic capture capability
The mission will be delivered by ClearSpace UK, selected to develop domestic expertise in spacecraft servicing, rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) and robotic capture. The programme is also intended to strengthen UK supply chains and high‑skill jobs in 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,” said Rob Atchison, Managing Director of ClearSpace UK. The company will work with partners across the UK as the mission progresses towards operations in 2029.
The new ADR mission builds on earlier UKSA‑backed work, including ClearSpace’s CLEAR concept and Astroscale’s COSMIC and ELSA‑d demonstrations, as well as the UK’s broader Plan for Space Sustainability and its leadership role in ESA’s Space Safety programme.
A public competition will be held to name the ADR spacecraft, inviting suggestions from across the UK.
Source: UK Space Agency, Electronics Weekly
