https://www.spacebandits.io/industries/debris-removal Dated, sourced milestones from the debris removal & servicing companies Space Bandits tracks. en https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/astroscale astroscale/2026-09-01/Books ADRAS-J2, the JAXA mission to capture a three-tonne rocket stage, on Isar Aerospace's Spectrum for 2027 or 2028 Tue, 01 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Books ADRAS-J2, the JAXA mission to capture a three-tonne rocket stage, on Isar Aerospace's Spectrum for 2027 or 2028. Source: https://isaraerospace.com/press/isar-aerospace-signs-launch-contract-with-astroscale-japan https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/inspecity inspecity/2026-08-27/Raises a ₹100 crore (about $10.5M) pre-Series A led by Speciale Invest and Ashish Kacholia to fly four servicing missions in 18 months Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Raises a ₹100 crore (about $10.5M) pre-Series A led by Speciale Invest and Ashish Kacholia to fly four servicing missions in 18 months. Source: https://www.inspecity.com/in-the-news/fund_raise https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbitaid orbitaid/2026-08-25/Plans a two-satellite mission for early 2027 to inspect, dock, refuel and raise orbit in one flight Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Plans a two-satellite mission for early 2027 to inspect, dock, refuel and raise orbit in one flight. Source: https://payloadspace.com/exclusive-orbitaid-to-launch-rpo-demo-in-2027/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/katalyst-space katalyst-space/2026-08-19/After two of LINK's three reaction wheels fail, NASA and Katalyst drop the Swift capture and fly the mission as a rendezvous demonstration Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT After two of LINK's three reaction wheels fail, NASA and Katalyst drop the Swift capture and fly the mission as a rendezvous demonstration. Source: https://www.theregister.com/science/2026/08/20/no-lift-for-swift-as-nasa-abandons-orbital-rescue/5290164 https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/katalyst-space katalyst-space/2026-08-14/Chosen by the Defense Innovation Unit to develop a deorbit service for Space Development Agency satellites using NEXUS Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Chosen by the Defense Innovation Unit to develop a deorbit service for Space Development Agency satellites using NEXUS. Source: https://www.katalystspace.com/news/diu-selects-katalyst-space-for-deorbit-as-a-service-program-supporting-sda https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbit-fab orbit-fab/2026-07-07/Names Peter Shaper CEO, opens its Series B and takes more than $25M of interim financing led by Stride Capital, with its first integrated refuelling architecture due to launch in 2027 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Names Peter Shaper CEO, opens its Series B and takes more than $25M of interim financing led by Stride Capital, with its first integrated refuelling architecture due to launch in 2027. Source: https://www.orbitfab.com/news/orbit-fab-announces-new-leadership-board-appointments-and-opening-of-series-b-financing-to-accelerate-commercial-growth/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/katalyst-space katalyst-space/2026-07-03/LINK, its first robotic servicing spacecraft, launches on a Pegasus XL from Kwajalein Fri, 03 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT LINK, its first robotic servicing spacecraft, launches on a Pegasus XL from Kwajalein. Source: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-updates-next-steps-for-commercial-swift-boost-mission/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/katalyst-space katalyst-space/2026-06-16/Raises $12M led by Geodesic Capital toward NEXUS, its first geostationary servicing mission in 2027 Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Raises $12M led by Geodesic Capital toward NEXUS, its first geostationary servicing mission in 2027. Source: https://www.katalystspace.com/news/katalyst-raises-12m-to-send-space-robot-to-geo-for-satellite-servicing https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/starfish-space starfish-space/2026-06/Otter Pup 2 reaches its new docking target and keeps flying close to it Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Otter Pup 2 reaches its new docking target and keeps flying close to it. Source: https://www.geekwire.com/2026/nasa-sspicy-starfish-space-otter-debut/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/starfish-space starfish-space/2026-04-07/Closes a Series B of more than $100M led by Point72 Ventures to build Otters for its contracted missions Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Closes a Series B of more than $100M led by Point72 Ventures to build Otters for its contracted missions. Source: https://payloadspace.com/starfish-closes-100m-series-b/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/katalyst-space katalyst-space/2026-03-23/Books an Ariane 6 launch to geostationary orbit for its first commercial servicing mission Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT Books an Ariane 6 launch to geostationary orbit for its first commercial servicing mission. Source: https://www.katalystspace.com/news/katalyst-secures-ariane-6-launch-to-geo-opening-robotic-servicing-for-satellite-operators https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbit-fab orbit-fab/2026-03/Founding CEO Daniel Faber hands over leadership as the company opens a $20M Series B Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT Founding CEO Daniel Faber hands over leadership as the company opens a $20M Series B. Source: https://www.orbitfab.com/news/orbit-fab-enters-new-growth-chapter-with-leadership-transition-and-20-million-series-b/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbit-fab orbit-fab/2026-02-16/Selected by NASA to develop a coolant fluid coupling for the Lunar Gateway's thermal control system Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT Selected by NASA to develop a coolant fluid coupling for the Lunar Gateway's thermal control system. Source: https://www.orbitfab.com/news/orbit-fab-selected-by-nasa-to-develop-fluid-transfer-technology-for-lunar-gateway/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/starfish-space starfish-space/2026-02-07/Space Systems Command orders a second Otter for Space Force work in geosynchronous orbit, due for delivery in 2028 Sat, 07 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT Space Systems Command orders a second Otter for Space Force work in geosynchronous orbit, due for delivery in 2028. Source: https://www.starfishspace.com/press-release/starfish-space-awarded-54-5-million-space-force-contract-for-dedicated-otter-satellite-servicing-vehicle/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/clearspace clearspace/2026-01/ESA and ClearSpace announce PRELUDE, a two-spacecraft servicing demonstration for 2027 Thu, 01 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT ESA and ClearSpace announce PRELUDE, a two-spacecraft servicing demonstration for 2027. Source: https://spacenews.com/esa-and-clearspace-announce-prelude-in-orbit-servicing-and-debris-removal-mission/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/starfish-space starfish-space/2026-01/Awarded $52.5M by the US Space Force for proliferated LEO deorbit services Thu, 01 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT Awarded $52.5M by the US Space Force for proliferated LEO deorbit services. Source: https://satnews.com/2026/01/21/us-space-force-awards-starfish-space-52-5-million-for-proliferated-leo-deorbit-services/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/starfish-space starfish-space/2025-12-15/In the Remora mission its camera and guidance software steer an Impulse Space Mira, on their own, to within about 1,250 m of another Mira Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT In the Remora mission its camera and guidance software steer an Impulse Space Mira, on their own, to within about 1,250 m of another Mira. Source: https://www.impulsespace.com/updates/leo-express-2-mission-updates https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbit-fab orbit-fab/2025-11-21/Wins ESA and UK Space Agency funding to lead ASTRAL, an in-orbit refuelling experiment due by 2028 Fri, 21 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT Wins ESA and UK Space Agency funding to lead ASTRAL, an in-orbit refuelling experiment due by 2028. Source: https://www.orbitfab.com/news/orbit-fab-wins-esa-funding-to-lead-astral/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbitaid orbitaid/2025-10-09/Wins an Indo-Australian MAITRI grant to fly India's first in-orbit refuelling interface Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT Wins an Indo-Australian MAITRI grant to fly India's first in-orbit refuelling interface. Source: https://orbitaid.com/newsroom/spacetech-startup-orbitaid-wins-indo-australian-maitri-grant-to-deploy-india-s-first-in-orbit-refuelling-interface https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/katalyst-space katalyst-space/2025-08-11/NASA awards a Phase III SBIR contract to design a rescue mission for the Swift observatory, to launch within ten months Mon, 11 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT NASA awards a Phase III SBIR contract to design a rescue mission for the Swift observatory, to launch within ten months. Source: https://www.katalystspace.com/news/katalyst-develops-design-for-nasa-to-rescue-500m-space-telescope https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/starfish-space starfish-space/2025-06-23/Otter Pup 2 launches on Transporter-14 for a docking demonstration Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT Otter Pup 2 launches on Transporter-14 for a docking demonstration. Source: https://www.geekwire.com/2025/spacex-starfish-space-otter-satellite-docking-test/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/katalyst-space katalyst-space/2025-05-29/Wins US Space Command's Sustained Space Maneuver Challenge and a $1.9M contract Thu, 29 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT Wins US Space Command's Sustained Space Maneuver Challenge and a $1.9M contract. Source: https://www.katalystspace.com/news/katalyst-develops-design-for-nasa-to-rescue-500m-space-telescope https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/inspecity inspecity/2025-05-07/Raises a $5.6M seed led by Ashish Kacholia to space-qualify its servicing hardware within a year Wed, 07 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT Raises a $5.6M seed led by Ashish Kacholia to space-qualify its servicing hardware within a year. Source: https://www.inspecity.com/in-the-news/inspecity-secures-5-6-million-in-seed-funding-to-pioneer-the-future-of-in-orbit-satellite-servicing https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbitaid orbitaid/2025-05/Zero-G2 repeats the docking test with autonomous mechanisms and camera-based pose estimation Thu, 01 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT Zero-G2 repeats the docking test with autonomous mechanisms and camera-based pose estimation. Source: https://orbitaid.com/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/starfish-space starfish-space/2025-05/Unveils Otter Pup 2, a Transporter-14 mission to attempt the first commercial satellite docking in LEO Thu, 01 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT Unveils Otter Pup 2, a Transporter-14 mission to attempt the first commercial satellite docking in LEO. Source: https://www.satellitetoday.com/launch/2025/05/23/starfish-space-to-attempt-commercial-docking-in-leo-with-second-otter-pup-mission/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/katalyst-space katalyst-space/2025-04-24/Acquires Atomos Space, taking on its Quark spacecraft, Broomfield factory and team Thu, 24 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT Acquires Atomos Space, taking on its Quark spacecraft, Broomfield factory and team. Source: https://www.katalystspace.com/news/katalyst-space-technologies-has-announced-its-acquisition-of-atomos-space https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbitaid orbitaid/2025-01-15/Raises a $1.5M pre-seed led by Unicorn India Ventures for an in-space docking and refuelling demonstration Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:00:00 GMT Raises a $1.5M pre-seed led by Unicorn India Ventures for an in-space docking and refuelling demonstration. Source: https://orbitaid.com/newsroom/spacetech-startup-orbitaid-raises-1-5-million-led-by-unicorn-india-ventures https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/astroscale astroscale/2024-12/ADRAS-J closes to 15 metres of the rocket body, the closest commercial approach to space debris Sun, 01 Dec 2024 12:00:00 GMT ADRAS-J closes to 15 metres of the rocket body, the closest commercial approach to space debris. Source: https://payloadspace.com/astroscales-adras-j-to-rendezvous-with-orbital-debris/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbitaid orbitaid/2024-11/Zero-G1, a parabolic flight in Florida, tests SIDRP docking and propellant transfer in weightlessness Fri, 01 Nov 2024 12:00:00 GMT Zero-G1, a parabolic flight in Florida, tests SIDRP docking and propellant transfer in weightlessness. Source: https://orbitaid.com/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/clearspace clearspace/2024-09/UK Space Agency awards £2.35M to accelerate the CLEAR debris removal mission Sun, 01 Sep 2024 12:00:00 GMT UK Space Agency awards £2.35M to accelerate the CLEAR debris removal mission. Source: https://satnews.com/2024/09/11/uk-space-agency-awards-new-contract-to-clearspace-to-accelerate-space-debris-removal-mission/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/astroscale astroscale/2024-06-05/Lists on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market Wed, 05 Jun 2024 12:00:00 GMT Lists on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market. Source: https://www.astroscale.com/en/news/astroscale-listed-on-the-tokyo-stock-exchange-growth-market https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/starfish-space starfish-space/2024-05/Selected by the US Space Force to conduct on-orbit docking and manoeuvre with national security assets Wed, 01 May 2024 12:00:00 GMT Selected by the US Space Force to conduct on-orbit docking and manoeuvre with national security assets. Source: https://www.satellitetoday.com/government-military/2024/05/21/starfish-space-to-conduct-on-orbit-docking-and-maneuver-with-national-security-space-assets/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/clearspace clearspace/2024-04/ESA and ClearSpace retarget the mission from the damaged adapter to the PROBA-1 satellite Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:00:00 GMT ESA and ClearSpace retarget the mission from the damaged adapter to the PROBA-1 satellite. Source: https://www.satellitetoday.com/sustainability/2024/04/24/clearspace-1-mission-changes-objective-in-response-to-space-debris-collision/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/starfish-space starfish-space/2024-04/First Otter Pup flies within a kilometre of D-Orbit’s ION and images it, completing a commercial rendezvous Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:00:00 GMT First Otter Pup flies within a kilometre of D-Orbit’s ION and images it, completing a commercial rendezvous. Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/starfish-spaces-otter-satellite-will-attempt-1st-ever-commercial-docking-in-low-earth-orbit-this-year https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/gitai gitai/2024-03/S2 dual robotic arm completes a fully successful servicing demonstration outside the ISS, reaching NASA TRL 7 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 12:00:00 GMT S2 dual robotic arm completes a fully successful servicing demonstration outside the ISS, reaching NASA TRL 7. Source: https://gitai.tech/2024/03/19/gitai-completes-fully-successful-technology-demonstration-outside-the-iss/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/astroscale astroscale/2024-02/ADRAS-J launches on Electron to inspect a discarded H-2A upper stage, the first commercial rendezvous with unprepared debris Thu, 01 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMT ADRAS-J launches on Electron to inspect a discarded H-2A upper stage, the first commercial rendezvous with unprepared debris. Source: https://spacenews.com/electron-launches-astroscale-inspection-satellite/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/astroscale astroscale/2024-01/ELSA-d completes its de-orbit operations, closing the debris-removal demonstration Mon, 01 Jan 2024 12:00:00 GMT ELSA-d completes its de-orbit operations, closing the debris-removal demonstration. Source: https://www.astroscale.com/en/news/astroscales-elsa-d-finalizes-de-orbit-operations-marking-successful-mission-conclusion https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbital-lasers orbital-lasers/2024-01/Carved out of SKY Perfect JSAT to commercialise laser debris removal and satellite LiDAR Mon, 01 Jan 2024 12:00:00 GMT Carved out of SKY Perfect JSAT to commercialise laser debris removal and satellite LiDAR. Source: https://www.satellitetoday.com/space-economy/2024/01/31/sky-perfect-jsat-forms-new-space-laser-business/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/clearspace clearspace/2023-08/The debris object ClearSpace-1 was built to capture is itself hit by untracked debris Tue, 01 Aug 2023 12:00:00 GMT The debris object ClearSpace-1 was built to capture is itself hit by untracked debris. Source: https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Objects_detected_in_the_vicinity_of_ClearSpace-1_debris_removal_mission_target https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/starfish-space starfish-space/2023-06-12/The first Otter Pup reaches orbit on Transporter-8 Mon, 12 Jun 2023 12:00:00 GMT The first Otter Pup reaches orbit on Transporter-8. Source: https://www.geekwire.com/2023/spacex-starfish-space-otter-pup-satellite/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/clearspace clearspace/2023-01/Raises a €26.7M Series A led by OTB Ventures and Swisscom Ventures Sun, 01 Jan 2023 12:00:00 GMT Raises a €26.7M Series A led by OTB Ventures and Swisscom Ventures. Source: https://spaceinsider.tech/2023/01/19/clearspace-raises-e26-million-to-cleanup-space-in-a-series-a-round-led-by-otb-ventures-and-swisscom-ventures/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/altius-space altius-space/2022-02/Passes 300 DogTags launched on OneWeb's constellation Tue, 01 Feb 2022 12:00:00 GMT Passes 300 DogTags launched on OneWeb's constellation. Source: https://www.factoriesinspace.com/altius-space-machines https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/gitai gitai/2021-10/S1 robotic arm completes an autonomous assembly demo inside the ISS Bishop Airlock Fri, 01 Oct 2021 12:00:00 GMT S1 robotic arm completes an autonomous assembly demo inside the ISS Bishop Airlock. Source: https://gitai.tech/2021/10/28/iss-tech-demo-ja/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/astroscale astroscale/2021-08/ELSA-d demonstrates the first commercial magnetic capture of an object in orbit Sun, 01 Aug 2021 12:00:00 GMT ELSA-d demonstrates the first commercial magnetic capture of an object in orbit. Source: https://www.astroscale.com/en/news/astroscales-elsa-d-successfully-demonstrates-repeated-magnetic-capture https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbit-fab orbit-fab/2021-06/Tanker-001 Tenzing, the first orbital propellant tanker, reaches orbit carrying the RAFTI refuelling port Tue, 01 Jun 2021 12:00:00 GMT Tanker-001 Tenzing, the first orbital propellant tanker, reaches orbit carrying the RAFTI refuelling port. Source: https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/orbit-fab-refueling-technology-applicability-to-science-abstracts.pdf https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/altius-space altius-space/2021-01/First DogTag grapple fixtures reach orbit aboard OneWeb satellites Fri, 01 Jan 2021 12:00:00 GMT First DogTag grapple fixtures reach orbit aboard OneWeb satellites. Source: https://spacenews.com/voyager-subsidiary-altius-space-machines-inc-announces-successful-first-orbital-launch-of-dogtags-aboard-onewebs-satellites/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/altius-space altius-space/2019-10-23/Voyager Space Holdings takes a majority stake, its first acquisition Wed, 23 Oct 2019 12:00:00 GMT Voyager Space Holdings takes a majority stake, its first acquisition. Source: https://spacenews.com/voyager-space-holdings-to-acquire-altius-space-machines/ https://www.spacebandits.io/startups/orbit-fab orbit-fab/2019-06/Furphy experiment on the ISS transfers water between two testbeds, the first private payload to resupply the station’s water Sat, 01 Jun 2019 12:00:00 GMT Furphy experiment on the ISS transfers water between two testbeds, the first private payload to resupply the station’s water. Source: https://spacenews.com/orbit-fab-demonstrates-satellite-refueling-technology-on-iss/