Exotrail Selected Under France 2030 to Lead a Sovereign Deorbiting Demonstration with Astroscale France and Eutelsat

On the occasion of the International Space Summit, organized by the French Presidency in Paris, Exotrail announces that it has been selected under the France 2030 “In-Orbit Services – Mobility” program to lead a demonstration mission together with Eutelsat and Astroscale France. The mission, to be contracted by the French space agency CNES, will demonstrate the end-to-end deorbiting of an Eutelsat OneWeb satellite between 2029 and 2030.

This selection moves the partners from preparatory studies into mission execution. It is the first concrete mission arising from the Exotrail–Astroscale France strategic partnership signed on 2 April at Astroscale’s headquarters in Tokyo, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. This ambitious mission demonstrating end-of-life management of an Eutelsat OneWeb satellite by 2030 positions
France among the leading space nations shaping the future of in-orbit services.

The program will establish in France an operational capability to approach and dock with a prepared satellite in Low Earth Orbit, transfer the combined stack to a re-entry orbit, then separate and passivate both vehicles ahead of their respective passive re-entries. It will provide a first operational reference for a repeatable French and European end-of-life service.

From partnership to an end-to-end mission

Exotrail will act as mission prime. The company will design, develop, manufacture, assemble, integrate, test and operate the next-generation spacevan™ RPO/D (Rendezvous Proximity Operations and Docking) servicing vehicle and its ground segment. Exotrail will also lead mission design and the delivery of the mobility service, from proximity operations through docking, orbital transfer, separation and passivation.

Astroscale France will provide complementary rendezvous, proximity operations and docking expertise and technologies. Its contribution draws on flight experience accumulated by the Astroscale group, while anchoring the related skills, facilities and industrial partnerships in France.

Eutelsat will make an operational OneWeb satellite available as the mission target. The operator will provide the mission and interface specifications, contribute to the joint operations concept and identify the target satellite within its LEO fleet. This operational involvement is essential to ensure that the service is designed around the real requirements of a major constellation operator.

A “Team France” capability for sovereignty, resilience and future services

Bringing together Exotrail, Astroscale France, Eutelsat with the support of France 2030 and CNES, the program creates a French industrial team spanning the servicing vehicle, RPO and docking technologies, up to constellation operations. It strengthens France’s ability to plan and conduct complex operations around satellites, aimed at enhancing sustainability in space, without relying on a non-European end-to-end solution.

For operators, the demonstration is intended to open the way to a sovereign and competitive management service for satellites that can no longer complete their end-of-life maneuvers autonomously, whether because of maneuvering reserves depletion or failure. As a major Low Earth Orbit player, Eutelsat has made responsible space operations and debris mitigation a core part of its sustainability approach. Through its technical cooperation with Exotrail, Eutelsat is actively helping to shape sovereign and competitive end-of-life services tailored to the operational realities of the OneWeb constellation, while laying the technical and economic groundwork for deorbiting services to become a recurring fleet-management solution.

The value of the program extends beyond this first demonstration. Rendezvous, proximity operations, docking and high-mobility maneuvers are common building blocks for inspection, life extension, logistics and the protection of critical space infrastructure. Once demonstrated in orbit, they can support future commercial and institutional missions and provide a technology base for subsequent resilience, security and defense applications. The OneWeb mission itself remains a civil end-of-life demonstration, with an enabling effect on sovereign capabilities.

A Franco-Japanese partnership anchored in France

The mission gives operational substance to the Franco-Japanese cooperation highlighted in Tokyo in April 2026. It combines Exotrail’s mission leadership, spacecraft and operations capabilities with Astroscale’s flight-proven experience in rendezvous and proximity operations, while developing the people, infrastructure and industrial know-how required to deliver missions from France.

Astroscale France is expanding its Toulouse operations, including its team and cleanroom capabilities. Within this Exotrail-led program and further, this local industrial footprint will help transform international experience into a durable French and European capacity. The objective is not simply to deliver one mission, but to establish a scalable servicing capability that can address the growing needs of commercial operators and public customers in Europe.

On this occasion, Exotrail CEO’s and cofounder, Jean-Luc Maria shared his vision about this mission : “In April, we pledged to move rapidly from technology synergies to an operational and sovereign capability. This France 2030 selection will turn a case study into a commitment towards staying at the forefront of in-orbit services worldwide endeavors. As prime, Exotrail will lead the complete service around our next-generation spacevan™, together with Astroscale France and Eutelsat. Such a demonstration will establish a concrete French reference for end-of-life services and mature the same critical RPO and docking building blocks that France and Europe will need to make their space infrastructure more sustainable, resilient and secure.”

Astroscale France President and Managing Director, Philippe Blatt, added : “This program marks the transition from capability development to mission delivery. Within an Exotrailled mission, Astroscale France will bring rendezvous, proximity operations and docking expertise drawn from Astroscale’s flight heritage, while continuing to build the team, facilities and partnerships required to deliver from France. Together, we are creating an operational foundation that can serve future French and European requirements across commercial, civil and, in time, security and defence markets.”

Frédéric Piro, Chief Engineering Officer at Eutelsat added, “Eutelsat has long supported the development and validation of in-orbit servicing technologies because responsible end-oflife management is essential to preserving the space environment. This mission takes that work forward. By providing a OneWeb satellite and contributing our operational expertise, we are helping to develop a sovereign European deorbiting service grounded in the real requirements of constellation operators. We are delighted to work with Exotrail and Astroscale France to turn this capability into an operational mission.”