ClearSpace has signed a contract with the European Space Agency to fund the next phase of Phoenix, its spacecraft designed to dock with and extend the life of satellites in geostationary orbit.
Phoenix is a servicing spacecraft that would rendezvous with and dock to an operational satellite, then supply propulsion and attitude control to take over station-keeping and repositioning. By doing so, it aims to extend a satellite’s useful life and support end-of-life operations for assets already in geostationary orbit (GEO).
The wider Phoenix programme is estimated at about €100 million (around US$110 million), and the new contract funds the next stage of maturing the mission architecture and the core rendezvous, proximity operations, docking and servicing technologies – through the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme.
At the core of Phoenix is ClearSpace’s docking system, which must make a safe mechanical connection with a satellite that was never designed to be docked with. Reliable docking is the critical capability for life extension, letting the servicer supply propulsion and attitude control once attached.
Luc Piguet, CEO and co-founder of ClearSpace, said, “Phoenix is the result of a shared ambition to make in-orbit servicing a practical and valuable capability for satellite operators.”
Laurent Jaffart, ESA’s director of resilience, navigation and connectivity, said, “In cooperation with our Member States and European industry, we’re taking Phoenix to the next level by working to mature the dual-use technologies that will deliver clear benefits for sustainability, resilience, and the competitiveness of Europe’s space industry.”
Docking to extend satellite life
The concept has already been proven in the US. Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics flew its Mission Extension Vehicles, MEV-1 and MEV-2, which docked with Intelsat satellites in 2020 and 2021 and provided years of propulsion and attitude control before undocking in early 2025. The company followed up in 2026 with a robotic Mission Robotics Vehicle that installs propulsion “pods” on aging satellites.
Phoenix is a first for the European space sector. Where Northrop’s MEV design inserts a probe into a client satellite’s main engine nozzle, ClearSpace is developing its own docking system so it can service a wider range of satellites, and give Europe an indigenous in-orbit servicing capability it currently lacks.
Phoenix timeline
ClearSpace is validating the technology in steps. Before Phoenix targets a satellite in geostationary orbit at about 22,000 miles (36,000km), it and ESA will fly the Prelude mission to test close-up autonomous navigation between two smaller spacecraft.
Prelude is scheduled to launch in 2027, with an expected operational duration of 7 to 12 months once in orbit
Phoenix sits within ClearSpace’s in-orbit servicing portfolio, alongside its active debris removal and inspection work.
Earlier Phoenix work was funded by the Luxembourg government and the Luxembourg Space Agency.
