Astroscale Taps Isar Aerospace for ELSA-M Launch

Japanese satellite servicing company Astroscale has picked Isar Aerospace to launch its ELSA-M debris removal spacecraft, betting on a European rocket that's still working through its growing pains.

Astroscale announced March 13 it signed a contract with Isar to launch the ELSA-M spacecraft on a Spectrum rocket. The launch is scheduled for Astroscale's 2028 fiscal year, which begins in May 2027. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

ELSA-M (End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-Multiple) is designed to dock with a defunct OneWeb satellite and lower its orbit for controlled reentry. OneWeb satellites operate at 1,200 km altitude — without intervention, they'd take around 2,000 years to naturally reenter, per SpaceNews.

Why Isar? The company said it was important to launch an ESA-funded mission from a European rocket. "Launching a European-funded ESA mission such as ELSA-M aboard a European rocket carries strong strategic significance for Europe's independent space-development ambitions," Astroscale stated.

That's a vote of confidence in Isar, which has had a rough start. Spectrum has performed exactly one orbital launch attempt — nearly a year ago, it malfunctioned shortly after liftoff from Andøya, Norway. But Isar is close to its second attempt: a launch window opens as soon as March 19, 2026.

In a recent presentation, Isar said it expects Spectrum to have completed "several" launches by the time ELSA-M is ready to fly.

ELSA-M is making progress — Astroscale said the spacecraft completed initial environmental tests at the National Satellite Test Facility in the UK.

The financials: Astroscale reported 8.35 billion yen ($52.2 million) in overall income for the first nine months of its fiscal year. Operating loss was 7.14 billion yen, in line with full-year projections of 9.3 to 10.3 billion yen. Not profitable yet, but the company sees a "clear tailwind" from growing defense interest in satellite servicing in Europe, Japan and the US.