Astroscale UK strengthens mission readiness for world’s first active debris removal mission

• ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification reinforces the secure operational foundations behind ELSA-M, Orpheus and Astroscale UK’s future mission pipeline

• ELSA-M is set to become the world’s first active debris removal mission, while Orpheus is developing sovereign in-orbit servicing and Defence capability

• The independent certification follows a 20-month company-wide programme to strengthen information security, governance and supplier assurance.

Harwell, UK, 30 September 2026 - Astroscale UK has achieved ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification as it prepares to deliver a new generation of missions designed to inspect, service and remove objects in orbit.

The milestone strengthens the secure operational foundations behind ELSA-M, which is set to become the world’s first active debris removal mission when it launches on an ISAR Aerospace Spectrum rocket in the near future, and Orpheus, which is developing sovereign UK defence capability. These missions depend on advanced rendezvous and proximity operations: the ability for a spacecraft to approach, inspect and work safely with another in orbit.

Astroscale has already demonstrated this capability in space. ELSA-d was the world’s first mission to demonstrate long-range and short-range rendezvous and magnetic capture of a client spacecraft. In 2024, Astroscale’s ADRAS-J inspection mission approached and inspected a non-cooperative Japanese upper-stage rocket body at a distance of less than 15 metres. The UK team developed the ground segment and led flight dynamics operations, including the planning of pioneering proximity manoeuvres and the monitoring and mitigation of collision alerts.

As missions become more complex and space becomes more congested and contested, secure information management is increasingly important to customers, partners and suppliers. ISO/IEC 27001:2022 provides an internationally recognised framework for identifying, managing and continually improving information security risks across all areas of the business.

Certification followed an independent audit and a 20-month company-wide programme to develop and implement policies, processes and governance. Astroscale UK’s information security management system also helps the company address emerging risks associated with artificial intelligence and third-party suppliers.

“Our missions combine frontier robotics and autonomous rendezvous with exacting operational discipline,” said Nick Shave, Managing Director of Astroscale UK. “As we prepare ELSA-M, the world’s first active debris removal mission, and advance the UK MOD Orpheus programme, we must give customers, government partners and suppliers confidence in the way we manage sensitive information across the business and response to evolving external risks. Achieving ISO 27001 is tangible evidence that we are building the secure, resilient organisation needed to deliver complex space missions in the UK.”

The certification will be maintained through ongoing monitoring, risk management, staff engagement and regular external audits. It supports Astroscale UK’s wider ambition to turn the UK’s early lead in in-orbit servicing into a repeatable pipeline of civil, defence and international missions.