ELSA-d at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Key facts

Outcome

Tested autonomous rendezvous + magnetic capture (debris-removal demo). The autonomous capture attempt was ABORTED after an anomaly (magnetic docking validated MANUALLY); lost 4/8 thrusters; deorbited 2024-01-24 (demonstrated, qualified - do NOT describe as a clean autonomous capture)

Sources (1)

1. https://spacenews.com/astroscale-debris-removal-demo-makes-close-approach-despite-thruster-issues/ ↗

Related deployments

• W-Series Capsule at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
• Shenzhou at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
• Phi-Sat-1 at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)Operated by European Space Agency
• Otter at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
• W-Series Capsule at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
• ADRAS-J at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Common questions

What is the ELSA-d deployment at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)?

ELSA-d, built by Astroscale, is recorded as a deployment at Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on the DEPLOY registry. Astroscale operates the deployment directly.

Who operates ELSA-d at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)?

Astroscale, the manufacturer of ELSA-d, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.

When did the ELSA-d deployment at Low Earth Orbit (LEO) go live?

The deployment is recorded as starting March 22, 2021 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.

Is the ELSA-d deployment at Low Earth Orbit (LEO) still active?

As of the most recent verification on the DEPLOY registry, this deployment is no longer operating at this location.

Have there been incidents at the ELSA-d deployment at Low Earth Orbit (LEO)?

No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.