A consortium of space tech firms has been approved to launch a UK government-funded regulatory sandbox to test solutions for increasingly valuable in-orbit servicing assembly and manufacturing (ISAM). 

Astroscale UK, D-Orbit and ClearSpace have jointly received £690,000 from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to test missions that help regulators understand the emerging implications of in-orbit activities. 

ISAM has been identified as a highly lucrative market for the future, representing projected revenues of £14bn over the next decade.  

In a recent paper, Trade body UKspace claimed Britain could capture as much as a quarter of the global ISAM market, however, it would require a more robust understanding from regulators. 

The new sandbox will test solutions for rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO). This is when a spacecraft purposefully manoeuvres to operate in close proximity to a client space object, and in some cases to dock to that object to perform in-orbit servicing. 

 RPO is at the heart of Astroscale’s missions to create a safe, sustainable, and secure space environment,” said Nick Shave, managing director of Astroscale UK.  

“We’re on the crest of seeing ISAM become a much-needed routine activity in space. A key factor to ensure we get there is a clear path to licensing ISAM missions. This welcome funding from the UK government will enable industry to engage with regulators to address current licensing challenges.” 

Astroscale UK is the British subsidiary of Japan-headquartered in-orbit servicing company Astroscale. D-Orbit – with offices in the UK, Portugal, Italy and the US – specialises in space logistics and transportation services and ClearSpace is creating technologies to support various in-orbit activities such as manufacturing, repair and recycling. 

“The RPO Regulatory Sandbox is an opportunity to feed into the development of a safe and sustainable market for in-orbit services in the UK,” said D-Orbit’s UK Legal Counsel, Lauren Payne.   

“There are challenges associated with regulating innovative new technology and services in many industries, and sandboxes are a recognised way of bringing a range of key stakeholders together to address these challenges. 

Read more: Early Impact: How BioOrbit plans to make cancer drugs in space 

Already have an account? Log in