ClearSpace

Renens, Switzerland

Founded 2018

About ClearSpace

ClearSpace SA is a Swiss space technology company established in 2018 as a spin-off from EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, specializing in active debris removal and in-orbit servicing to address the growing challenge of space debris threatening operational satellites and future space activities. The company has secured a landmark 86 million euro contract with the European Space Agency to execute ClearSpace-1, the worlds first mission to actively remove a piece of space debris from orbit, scheduled for launch in the second half of 2026. The mission will deploy an experimental four-armed capture robot to rendezvous with and deorbit a Vega Secondary Payload Adapter left in orbit since 2013. Beyond the ESA contract, ClearSpace raised a 26 million euro Series A round led by Swisscom Ventures and OTB Ventures to accelerate technology development. The total ClearSpace-1 mission cost is estimated at 117 million euros, with ESA contributing 86 million euros. ClearSpace leads an international industrial consortium with contributions from enterprises in Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, Poland, United Kingdom, Portugal, and Romania. The company has expanded with teams in Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the UK, and has received additional contracts from the UK Space Agency. ClearSpace technology is designed not just for debris removal but also for satellite life extension through in-orbit servicing, positioning the company at the forefront of the emerging market for space sustainability services.