The verified answer
As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies ClearSpace: 1 model, $28.8M raised. 1 source back the record.
CategorySpace
Overview
ClearSpace is a Swiss space debris removal company based in Renens, commissioned by the European space agency (ESA) for the world's first active debris removal mission, ClearSpace-1. The mission will use an experimental four-armed robot to capture and deorbit debris, targeting the PROBA-1 satellite. ESA signed an EUR86M ($104M) contract with ClearSpace, with launch aboard a Vega-C flight scheduled for the second half of 2026.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Valuation of record
DEPLOY VERIFIEDPriced roundSeries A post-money
Key facts
Focus
Robot
Customers
ESA contract
Mission
Launch
Target
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Partnerships
Every company ClearSpace has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most-frequent partners
- 1European Space Agency1× joint
Most recent
- with European Space Agencyoperating
ClearSpace on the deployment map
View the global mapClearSpace has no verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry yet. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
No verified deployments for ClearSpace on the DEPLOY record yet. Track ClearSpace to know the moment the first one is verified.
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Luc Piguet Co-founder and CEOsince 2018-01-01secondary-verified
Founders (1)
- Luc Piguetcofounderfounded 2018-01-01
Safety record
No incidents on record for ClearSpace.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Recent coverage
ClearSpace in third-party press
Peers
56 peers across 1 segment. Every ClearSpace competitor derived from shared form-factor and application-domain edges.
space(56)
36 companies in this segment · low_concentration (HHI 1188.742650389188) · leader K2 Space at 2172%
- Airbusdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Astrobotic Technologydirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Astroscaledirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Boeingdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- China Manned Space Agencydirect competitor(inferred)strong
- China National Space Administrationdirect competitor(inferred)strong
Financial state
- Total funding
- $28.8M
- Reporting basis
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- growth
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships
1 total · 1 operating
Every company ClearSpace has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
- with European Space Agencyoperating
Most-frequent partners
- 1European Space Agency1× joint
All 1 partnerships
open in the atlas →- ClearSpace x ESA (ClearSpace-1 debris removal mission)withEuropean Space Agencydeployment2019-11-01announcedoperating
Funding rounds (1)
- Series A2023-01-19
$29M(reported) · $173M post
Investors: OTB Ventures (lead), Swisscom Ventures (lead), Lakestar, In-Q-Tel
Timeline
Every recorded move in ClearSpace’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
Funding roundSeries A funding round
2023-01-19Series A raising $28800000
PartnershipClearSpace x ESA (ClearSpace-1 debris removal mission)
2019-11-01ESA signed an €86M contract with ClearSpace to purchase the world's first space debris removal service. ClearSpace-1, scheduled for 2026, will capture and deorbit a single piece of space debris using autonomous robotic spacecraft technology.
Key hireLuc Piguet joins as Co-founder and CEO
2018-01-01Luc Piguet appointed Co-founder and CEO (current)
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 7, 2026
Space Debris
- Record createdJun 5, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Sources (1)
Common questions
What is ClearSpace?
What does ClearSpace make?
Who competes with ClearSpace?
Who is the CEO of ClearSpace?
Where is ClearSpace headquartered?
How much funding has ClearSpace raised?
Where does ClearSpace operate robots?
Is ClearSpace a top robotics company?
When was ClearSpace founded?
Is ClearSpace safe?
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for ClearSpace.Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- SpaceX3 models
- Astroscale2 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning ClearSpace from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
ClearSpace raises 9 million ahead of first debris removal mission
Swiss startup ClearSpace raised approximately 9 million with participation from the Luxembourg Future Fund, bringing total funding to about €130M (40M). The company is…
ClearSpace Closes €26.7 million Series A
ClearSpace closed a €26.7M (8.9M) Series A to accelerate its active space debris removal and in-orbit servicing missions, with plans to establish operations in Luxembourg.
ESA signs contract for first space debris removal mission
ESA finalized an EUR86M ($104M) contract with ClearSpace SA for the world's first active space debris removal mission, ClearSpace-1, targeting the PROBA-1 satellite.
ESA purchases world-first debris removal mission from start-up
ESA signed an €86 million contract with Swiss start-up ClearSpace SA to purchase the first removal of an item of space debris from orbit, scheduled for 2026. ClearSpace is an EPFL…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/clearspace.md
- RSS feed: /companies/clearspace/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/79331053-71a1-41a5-95dd-2322571aed0a
- Revision history: /companies/clearspace/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- SpaceX3 models
- Astroscale2 models
Video
Une grande griffe articulée lancée dans l’espace. C’est la solution proposée par ClearSpace pour nettoyer l’orbite de la Terre, alors que les débris de satellit
ClearSpace is pioneering a new era of “roadside assistance” for space. Beginning with one of the most urgent challenges—the removal of defunct satellites and de
We're planning to fly by 2026 to capture our first space debris. Here's a sneak peak of some content about to come. Video credit: © ClearSpace/EPFL The ClearSp
How Will ClearSpace Capture Space Debris Using Robots? The space debris problem is seriously getting out of hand. In February 2009, the American Iridium 33 s
Please enjoy a short teaser of ClearSpace CRAB making waves. Stay tuned for the full video coming up soon!
"Swiss startup Clear Space announced its first trash de-orbit mission using Europe's Vega C rocket with Arianespace in 2026. Learn more about the mission and th
Find out what ClearSpace CEO have in Store for the upcoming ClearSpace Mission Video credit: © ClearSpace The ClearSpace-1 Mission is commissioned by @European
Find out more at : www.clearspace.today
🛰️ Vision That Moves Missions: Real-Time 6D Pose Estimation at Work When it comes to capturing a satellite in orbit, knowing where it is isn’t enough. You need
We invite you inside ClearSpace's unique simulation facility and where the darkness of space is replicated on Earth. Here is the actual motion captured in the r
The European Space Agency, announced plans to launch a space debris removal mission in 2025, with the help of a Swiss start-up, called ClearSpace. #spaceupdates
Heat Index
Category contender77/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
ClearSpace draws attention at the 27th percentile but verifies reality at the insufficient-data level among space robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Funding runway warrants monitoring: last known round 44 months ago.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Sep 5, 2026