# ELSA-d at Low Earth Orbit (LEO): deployment

Canonical ID: `c3a16cb1-949d-45eb-b09c-632c73406e7c`

## 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)

**Trust tier:** Catalog entry · 1 source · not yet field-verified

_Last updated: 2026-06-05_

- **Slug:** elsa-d-leo-2021
- **Status:** ended
- **Model:** [ELSA-d](/models/astroscale-elsa-d.md) (id: `a849db2b-3190-4914-90e7-7090453e9683`)
- **Company:** [Astroscale](/companies/astroscale.md) (id: `eaf78c33-872d-4bc6-b0bb-d1cef402713f`)
- **Location:** [Low Earth Orbit (LEO)](/locations/low-earth-orbit.md) (id: `c2b414a6-3f5d-4862-8aee-c7bf3198b271`)
- **First seen:** 2021-03-22T12:00:00.000Z

## Verification log (0, append-only)

_No verifications recorded._

## Sources (1)

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

## 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.


_API: GET /v1/robots/c3a16cb1-949d-45eb-b09c-632c73406e7c · feeds: GET /v1/feeds?deploymentId=c3a16cb1-949d-45eb-b09c-632c73406e7c · canonical URL: /deployments/elsa-d-leo-2021_