The ClearSpace-1 program is planned to be launched in 2026.
"The selection of our company as a partner in the ClearSpace-1 program, following a competition in which AROBS Engineering was evaluated as the best in Romania in providing this type of embedded software services, validates our colleagues' high expertise in aerospace. I want to congratulate the AROBS Engineering team for this exceptional achievement. We are proud that they will be involved in a project with a significant impact on the future of the European aerospace industry," stated Voicu Oprean, founder and CEO of AROBS.
ClearSpace is an in-orbit services (IOS) company created in 2018, intending to revolutionize how space missions are conducted. The Swiss-based company is a strategic partner of ESA in Europe's long-term project to clean up the space.
In 2020, ESA commissioned ClearSpace to build, launch, and fly a novel deorbit mission to rendezvous with and capture a large piece of debris in orbit, then safely pilot the object into Earth's atmosphere. This will be done through the ClearSpace-1 program supported by ESA and the participating states.
ClearSpace has designed a four-armed capture system for its robotic satellite as a critical step in developing this unique debris-removal mission. This innovative technology successfully passed proof-of-concept testing at ESA's research and technology centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands in October 2022. AROBS Engineering was responsible for a key part of the mission.
"I am excited to see that our 20+ years of experience in embedded software engineering and image processing are being put to good use in such an exciting and innovative project," stated Cosmin Stanciu, Business Development Manager for Aerospace, AROBS Engineering.
This is the first collaboration between AROBS Engineering and ClearSpace. Still, it is one of many collaborations supported by ESA. The company has a ten-year history in R&D projects, mainly in onboard software.
AROBS Engineering (former Enea Software Services Development business line and team) provides premium embedded software development services to clients in Europe and North America — the company works with global aerospace, medical, and maritime partners.
AROBS Transilvania Software is listed on the AeRO market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange as of December 6, 2021. The company currently has a market capitalization of approximately €202 million. Recently, the company consolidated its aerospace expertise by acquiring SYDERAL Polska, which specializes in developing products and technologies for quantum and optical communication, onboard data storage and processing, and control of satellite mechanisms and instruments.
ClearSpace SA is an In-Orbit Services (IOS) company created in 2018 intending to revolutionise how space missions are conducted. ClearSpace is creating technologies that will support a wide range of IOS applications, from disposal and in-orbit transport to mission extension, assembly, manufacturing, repair, and recycling. It aims to support institutions and commercial operators alike, to enhance sustainable space operations and promote a circular space economy. In 2020, ClearSpace was awarded a service contract by ESA to develop ClearSpace-1, using state-of-the-art technology and advanced on-orbit techniques to demonstrate the feasibility of removing debris from orbit. The ClearSpace-1 mission is also supported by Elite Partner Omega. ClearSpace is growing rapidly with teams in Switzerland, the UK, Germany and Luxembourg, and is actively engaged in the initial phases of two other in-orbit servicing missions in addition to ClearSpace-1.
