ELSA‑M to Carry the Astra Carta Seal: A Milestone Marked by His Majesty King Charles III
At the 2026 Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) Roundtables & Exhibition, Astroscale UK Managing Director Nick Shave had the honour of welcoming His Majesty King Charles III to our exhibition stand to view the ELSA‑M satellite model carrying the Astra Carta seal.
His Majesty launched the Astra Carta initiative – part of the Sustainable Markets Initiative – to encourage responsible, sustainable practices across the global space sector. Held at Hampton Court Palace on 11 and 12 March, the SMI event brought together global leaders and CEOs to accelerate a sustainable future across sectors, including the space domain.
ELSA-M (End of Life Services by Astroscale – Multiple) is Astroscale’s commercial satellite service designed to remove inactive satellites from orbit. The in-orbit demonstration mission is a partnership programme led by Astroscale and supported by the UK Space Agency, ESA, and the commercial satellite operator Eutelsat through the Sunrise Partnership Project, a public–private partnership between ESA and Eutelsat Group.
The mission will safely approach and dock with a Eutelsat OneWeb communications satellite at its end of life, then remove it from orbit. This world first commercial ‘de-orbit as a service’ demonstration showcases the technologies and operational capability needed to reduce collision risk in Earth’s increasingly crowded Low Earth Orbit.
Satellites support essential services – from communications and navigation to weather forecasting, climate monitoring and national security. As the number of active and inactive satellites continues to grow, so does the importance of responsible management throughout the satellite lifecycle. By enabling the safe removal of spacecraft at the end of their mission, ELSA-M helps protect the infrastructure that society relies on and supports the transition toward a more sustainable and circular space economy.
The Astra Carta extends the sustainability principles of the Terra Carta into space, championing stewardship, innovation and shared responsibility beyond Earth. Incorporating the Astra Carta seal onto ELSAM signals how these values are being put into practice – demonstrating the role that collaboration and technical leadership play in safeguarding the orbital environment for future generations.
Astroscale is proud to contribute to this shared vision. With ELSA-M, we are advancing the technologies that will help keep space safe, sustainable and accessible as reliance on the orbital domain continues to grow.
