---
type: source
title: "Astroscale to conduct first operational active debris removal missions in 2026 with ELSA-M and COSMIC"
author: "Astroscale / Space.com / Frontiers (aggregated)"
url: https://www.space.com/astroscale-space-junk-removal-2026-plan-exclusive-video
date: 2026-03-00
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: unprocessed
priority: medium
tags: [debris, active-debris-removal, astroscale, governance, commons-tragedy, regulation]
flagged_for_leo: ["Debris removal threshold (~60 objects/year) as concrete commons governance benchmark — connects to Ostrom's principles"]
---

## Content
Astroscale's 2026 ADR missions:
- ELSA-M: launching 2026, capable of removing multiple "prepared" inactive satellites (with docking interfaces) in a single mission
- COSMIC (Cleaning Outer Space Mission through Innovative Capture): partnership with UK Space Agency to remove 2 defunct British spacecraft in 2026
- U.S. Patent No. 12,234,043 B2 for "Method and System for Multi-Object Space Debris Removal" — distributed architecture for scalable, repeatable ADR operations

Regulatory developments:
- FCC and ESA now mandate 5-year deorbit for LEO satellites (tightened from voluntary 25-year guideline)
- Global adherence to disposal norms remains lax

Research on ADR effectiveness (Frontiers in Space Technologies, 2026):
- Removal of ~60 large objects (>10cm) per year is the threshold at which debris growth becomes negative and collision risk declines
- Below this threshold, debris environment continues to deteriorate regardless of mitigation compliance

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** ADR is transitioning from demonstration to operational capability. The 60 objects/year threshold provides a concrete benchmark for whether debris governance is working. Currently, ELSA-M and COSMIC together remove maybe 3-5 objects — roughly 5-8% of what's needed. The gap between current capability and required removal rate is enormous.
**What surprised me:** The 5-year deorbit mandate from FCC/ESA. This is a significant regulatory tightening. But "global adherence remains lax" — the governance gap applies here too.
**What I expected but didn't find:** Cost per object removed. Economic viability of ADR at scale. Who pays for removing 60 objects/year?
**KB connections:** [[orbital debris is a classic commons tragedy where individual launch incentives are private but collision risk is externalized to all operators]], [[Ostrom proved communities self-govern shared resources when eight design principles are met without requiring state control or privatization]]
**Extraction hints:** The 60 objects/year threshold as a quantitative test of Kessler syndrome governance. The gap between current capability (~5 objects) and required rate (~60) as concrete evidence of the governance deficit. The FCC/ESA 5-year mandate as evidence that governance CAN tighten, but only in jurisdictions with institutional capacity.
**Context:** Orbital debris is the most concrete governance failure in space — the only one with a quantified tipping point (Kessler syndrome). Astroscale is the leading commercial ADR provider.

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: [[orbital debris is a classic commons tragedy where individual launch incentives are private but collision risk is externalized to all operators]]
WHY ARCHIVED: First operational ADR missions + quantified removal threshold (~60/year) provides concrete test of commons governance in space
EXTRACTION HINT: Extract the 60 objects/year threshold as a quantitative benchmark. Compare current ADR capability (~5 objects) to required rate. This is the gap between governance aspiration and operational reality.
