A £61m contract has been awarded to build a robotic “space grabber”, with the first removal targeted for around 2030 and a second by 2032.
British scientists are developing a robotic “space grabber” to capture old satellites, then either bring them back to Earth safely or burn them up on re-entry. The UK Space Agency (UKSA) aims to remove an ageing UK satellite from orbit by 2030, and a second two years later. The Government hopes its funding will boost the British space economy and encourage other countries to make low Earth orbit (LEO) safer. The UK would become the first country to run a national mission of this kind.
The contract and the timetable
The UK Space Agency announced on 15 October that it had chosen ClearSpace UK to design, build and deliver the mission. The £61m contract covers the spacecraft, its autonomous navigation systems and the equipment needed to capture the satellites. The UK operation is led by managing director Rob Atchison.
The spacecraft is planned to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland in 2029. The first removal is expected around 2030 and the second by 2032. The schedule depends on final development and approvals. The Government has also committed £30m to SaxaVord to strengthen domestic launch capability.
The contract is part of a wider commitment. The UK’s September 2026 Space Strategy allocates up to £77m to the national debris removal mission and £40m to in-orbit servicing demonstrations and technology. Total civil investment from 2026 to 2030 is £117m. The two target satellites have not been named, and their size, mass and orbits have not been published. That matters because capturing an uncontrolled or tumbling satellite is technically harder than docking with a working spacecraft.
Why debris is a problem
Davide Amato, an associate professor of computational astrodynamics at Imperial College London, said space was “massively important for today’s economy”. He said the problem with space debris is the risk it poses to those assets. Experts warn that millions of fragments, from millimetre-long scraps to entire rocket boosters, are drifting in orbit.
Mr Amato said the worst case was that some heavily used orbits could become effectively unusable. “If it’s a cloud of small debris, then it’s like flying through a cloud of bullets,” he said. NASA has described LEO as a “space junkyard”.
In 2009, a collision between communications satellites created almost 2,000 pieces of debris. The International Space Station already has to make evasive moves about once a year to avoid junk. In 2024, astronauts were told to shelter in an attached spacecraft as the station passed a crumbling satellite.
A European Space Agency report published on 14 September said more than three intact satellites or rocket bodies re-enter the atmosphere on an average day, while about 10 new payloads are launched daily. It said too many satellites remain in congested orbits after the end of their working lives, which raises the risk of collisions and more debris. It added that the cumulative risk of casualties from objects returning to Earth has increased, although it remains low compared with everyday hazards.
Reusable, with wider uses
The Government says the spacecraft is being designed so it can be refuelled, which could let it carry out several removals and support a commercial service. Refuelling and repeated operation remain objectives and have not been demonstrated by this spacecraft.
ClearSpace says the underlying robotics could also be used to inspect and repair damaged satellites, refuel working ones, move spacecraft into safer orbits and remove obsolete ones before they become hazards. The Government sees this as part of a new commercial industry known as in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing.
‘First’ in context
The UK would not be the first to demonstrate satellite-grabbing technology. Japan’s Astroscale launched its ELSA-d mission in March 2021 and demonstrated repeated magnetic capture of a specially prepared satellite. The European Space Agency has also been developing ClearSpace-1 to capture an existing satellite. Britain’s claim is narrower: a single nationally commissioned mission to remove two separate defunct satellites that were not designed to be captured.
Name the spacecraft
The UK Space Agency launched a public competition on 15 October to name the spacecraft. It is open to UK residents, and entries of no more than two words must be explained in up to 150 words. The deadline is 5pm GMT on 10 December 2026. The winning name will appear on the spacecraft and its mission patch, with judges expected to choose it in the week beginning 11 January 2027.
