MILAN — The European Space Agency and Luxembourg’s ClearSpace announced Jan. 12 a new collaboration on an in-orbit servicing and active debris removal mission called PRELUDE, one that will involve two small spacecraft designed to test close-proximity operations and could eventually enable satellite life extension, repair and removal in orbit.
Officials are targeting a 2027 launch.
PRELUDE aims to validate autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations in real flight conditions. The mission will test high-accuracy tracking, navigation and maneuvering using a combination of vision-based and complementary sensors feeding onboard algorithms and autonomous, fault-tolerant guidance, navigation and control (GNC) software. The goal is to demonstrate full freedom of movement and safe, repeatable maneuvers around another spacecraft.
“The PRELUDE spacecraft will be able to see, understand and precisely track another object in space on its own, without ground intervention,” ClearSpace CEO Luc Piguet told SpaceNews.
ClearSpace will lead mission design, system engineering and GNC development as well as the ground segment and mission operations. The spacecraft platform, propulsion modules and sensors will be procured or co-developed with industrial partners.
The mission is expected to operate for seven to 12 months, depending on the number and complexity of proximity maneuvers.
“The goal is to comprehensively test and validate GNC through structured proximity operations, repeated maneuvers and a gradual validation of autonomy and safety features,” a spokesperson for ESA’s Space Safety team said.
“This mission,” Tiago Soares, head of ESA’s Clean Space and Circular Economy Office, said in a press statement, “reinforces Europe’s leadership in sustainable and safe space operations and paves the way for commercially viable in-orbit services.”
PRELUDE fits into ClearSpace’s broader strategy to develop orbital servicing spacecraft capable of both life extension and debris mitigation in low Earth orbit. “This marks a tangible step toward making safe and sustainable operations part of everyday space activity,” Piguet said.
The timeline for ClearSpace’s transition from demonstration missions to fully commercial services has not yet been determined.
“We see PRELUDE as part of a continuous transition, not a binary switch from ‘testing’ to ‘commercial,’” Piguet said. “In-orbit servicing is an emerging market, and ClearSpace is already running institutional and commercial programs. Our commercial readiness is built on a broader portfolio of missions, system engineering maturity and ongoing customer engagement.”
Founded in Switzerland in 2018 and headquartered in Luxembourg, ClearSpace secured its first ESA contract in 2020 for ClearSpace-1, an active debris removal mission. Initially targeting a VESPA launch adapter — later deemed unsuitable for removal — the mission was updated in 2024 to focus on the deorbiting of Proba-1. ClearSpace-1 is currently scheduled for launch in 2029.
According to the company, the data, operational experience and autonomy validation generated by PRELUDE will support subsequent missions by demonstrating technologies at the required safety margins. “In this way,” Piguet added, “PRELUDE significantly reduces risk and strengthens confidence across the broader ClearSpace mission portfolio.”
