Astroscale France, the French subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings, together with Exotrail, a French company specializing in the design, manufacturing and operation of multi-orbit and multi-mission satellites, announced a strategic partnership focused on building deorbiting capabilities in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This partnership represents a key milestone in the development of European end-of-life satellite management capabilities, while laying the foundations for structured and shared roadmap, addressing both civilian and defense-related challenges.

As a critical infrastructure for telecommunications, Earth observation, navigation and defense applications, Low Earth Orbit satellites are facing increasing congestion. Operators are embracing the responsible management of satellite end-of-life, as well as working on mitigation of orbital debris. The deorbiting capabilities will hence play a key role in ensuring the long-term safety and sustainability of space operations. The partnership between Astroscale France and Exotrail aims at providing operators this opportunity, starting with a first mission before 2030 to prove a controlled and operational deorbiting capability. To do so, companies will rely on the complementary expertise they built: Exotrail, as a manufacturer, integrator and operator of high-mobility satellites – the spacevan™, and Astroscale France, will provide its heritage capture system technology and close-proximity operations (RPO) expertise, drawing on experience from its previous missions, including docking mechanisms, algorithms, mission preparation and operational know-how.

An initial groundwork has been carried out to give flesh to this partnership, through a study phase led by Exotrail in the frame of a France 2030 contract with CNES. Exotrail has partnered with Astroscale France to complete the study on a deorbiting mission for a constellation satellite in LEO, based on next generation Exotrail’s service vehicle, the spacevan™ RPO/D, and Astroscale’s competences and technologies. Beyond a first demonstration aimed at a commercial satellite, the two partners are committing to a long-term collaboration built around a shared roadmap, to develop European solutions based on rendezvous and docking technologies. This cooperation is fully aligned with objectives of sustainability, space operations safety and technological sovereignty, in line with French and European space priorities.

Philippe Blatt, Managing Director, Astroscale France, commented on the announcement: “This partnership demonstrates how specialist servicing capabilities can be effectively integrated into prime-led missions to enable complex in-orbit operations. Beyond a single mission, it reflects the emergence of new business pathways for in-orbit servicing, showing how French industry can collaborate in new ways to deliver advanced capabilities while protecting intellectual property and strengthening national sovereignty."

“By combining Exotrail’s mission leadership on vehicles and maneuvers, with Astroscale’s proven capture and close-proximity operations expertise, we are helping to position France and Europe at the forefront of in-orbit servicing and to build a credible, repeatable foundation for this capability in Europe.”

Jean-Luc Maria, CEO, Exotrail, added on this partnership: “Demonstrating our ability to partner on the critical Rendezvous, proximity and docking technologies is the key to enrich our services portfolio, and accelerate our roadmap to the benefit of the space infrastructure.

“Controlled deorbiting and on-orbit rendezvous capabilities are now recognized as critical technological building blocks, for both civilian applications and the future of defence endeavours. By teaming with Astroscale to help secure essential space infrastructures, we add more capabilities to strengthen the resilience of European space architectures and preserve freedom of action in space.”

This partnership illustrates the ability of the French and European space ecosystem to team up on very complex capabilities, combining technologies, as well as industrial and operational skills requiring years to master. Astroscale France and Exotrail are convinced that these alliances need to be built today, in order to deliver concrete and innovative solutions answering the challenges the orbital environment is facing today, and will face for decades to come.

Click here to learn more about Exotrail's offerings on SatNow.