LeoLabs and ClearSpace partner to advance a safer, more sustainable space environment

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Apr 03, 2023, 06:00 ET

Industry leaders sign a memorandum of understanding recognizing their shared vision for a safe and sustainable space ecosystem and their mutual efforts in making this vision a reality

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LeoLabs, the world's leading commercial provider of low Earth orbit (LEO) Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management services, announced today a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ClearSpace, the Swiss-based, in-orbit satellite servicing company. The MOU recognizes the two companies' shared vision of a safe and sustainable space ecosystem and their mutual efforts in making this vision a reality.

This strategic partnership comes at a time when both companies are finding commercial and non-commercial success. In 2022, for example, LeoLabs received a contract to help support the development of a US, civil-led STM prototype from the US Department of Commerce, and ClearSpace received a Phase B demo contract from the UK Space Agency to demonstrate its active debris removal technology.

The partnership announced today signals a desire to build on this mutual success and previous collaborative efforts, such as the joint LEO Kinetic Space Safety Workshop hosted in May 2022. The MOU also serves as a formal declaration of LeoLabs' and ClearSpace's intent to work together on several new initiatives. These initiatives include thought leadership opportunities that promote space safety and responsible stewardship of the space environment, as well as business opportunities that promote their services and programs. In addition, they have agreed to exchange advisory board appointments, with LeoLabs' Dr. Darren McKnight joining ClearSpace's Advisory Board and Dr. Timothy Maclay from ClearSpace becoming a member of LeoLabs' Commercial Strategic Advisory Board.

"As the traffic in low Earth orbit grows, innovative, scalable solutions are needed, including active debris removal technologies and in-orbit servicing," said LeoLabs CEO Dan Ceperley. "ClearSpace is an industry leader in both, and we're proud to kick off partnering with them to build a safer, more sustainable future in space."

"With the acceleration of commercial space activity, the industry is developing approaches to create a more circular space ecosystem," said ClearSpace CEO and Co-founder Luc Piguet. "LeoLabs is providing data and services that are critical to operational safety, and we are excited to be working with them to address comprehensively the complex challenges of space safety and sustainability."

This strategic partnership between LeoLabs and ClearSpace — two dynamic, innovative players in the industry — is a milestone in the development of effective, multi-faceted strategies to address the growing debris problem in space and mitigate the risks posed to operational spacecraft.

About LeoLabs (www.leolabs.space)

LeoLabs is transforming the way satellite operators, commercial enterprises and federal agencies across the world launch and track missions in low Earth orbit. Through its vertically integrated technology system, Vertex™, LeoLabs delivers the superior information needed to succeed in today's space race. With unmatched LEO coverage, real-time tracking and powerful insights, companies and governments rely on LeoLabs to safely innovate and execute a wide array of operations in space.

About ClearSpace (www.clearspace.today)

ClearSpace SA, a spin-off of EPFL's Space Center, was created in 2018 to respond to the growing concern about space debris with a practical Active Debris Removal (ADR) solution. Bound to revolutionize how space missions are conducted, ClearSpace provides services in-orbit with innovative technologies to capture and deorbit obsolete objects threatening space operations, and builds the roadmap to servicing capabilities in Space. It aims to support institutions and commercial operators to accomplish their space sustainability and to promote a sustainable space economy. In November 2020, ClearSpace signed a contract worth 86 million euros with ESA to send their first robot cleaner into space in 2026. ClearSpace is growing rapidly with teams in Switzerland, the UK and Germany, and is actively engaged in the initial phases of two other in-orbit servicing missions in addition to ClearSpace-1.

SOURCE LeoLabs, Inc.