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Astroscale Ltd. announces arrival of Nick Shave as Managing Director

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Astroscale Ltd., announces that Nick Shave will succeed John Auburn as Managing Director effective from today, June 1, 2022. Shave joins Astroscale at a time of tremendous growth in the U.K. following the recent announcement of ESA’s Sunrise Partnership Program to develop Astroscale’s ELSA-M servicer and debris removal mission and ESA’s CREAM II Collision Avoidance Program.

“We are delighted that Nick Shave will be leading our U.K. / European business at this exciting time,” said Nobu Okada, CEO, and Founder of Astroscale. “Our Harwell-based team is leading the development of our End-of-Life Services with ELSA-M, our multi-client debris removal servicer. From Mission Operations, Collision Avoidance to Space Situational Awareness, our technology and expertise is driving the on-orbit servicing economy globally. We are particularly excited to work with Nick as we enter our new Astroscale premises in the coming weeks.”

Shave, formerly VP of Strategic Programs at Inmarsat, and current Chair of UKspace, the trade association of the U.K. space industry, brings more than 30 years of space sector experience to Astroscale. He has delivered significant business growth and results whilst performing senior management, engineering and sales roles at Inmarsat, CGI, Logica and at the UK MOD Defence Research Agency. He is educated to MBA level and holds an MSc in Spacecraft Technology & Satellite Communications from University College London. In addition to his UKspace role, he serves as a Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society where he is also a Fellow.

“I am thrilled to be leading the next phase of Astroscale’s growth strategy in the U.K. & Europe, and feel very lucky to have inherited such a talented and passionate team of experts who are committed to delivering our global ambition on space sustainability,” said Shave. “Now is the time to realise the U.K.’s ambition to capture the opportunity in the fast growing on-orbit servicing economy as highlighted in the U.K.’s National Space Strategy. The U.K. is taking a leadership position across sustainable space programs — collaborating with industry partners, supporting regulatory innovation and building international partnerships. Astroscale Ltd. is proud to be creating new space sector jobs and growth opportunities that will keep the space environment safe for future generations.”

John Auburn concludes his role as Managing Director of Astroscale Ltd. today, June 1, 2022, and will move into semi-retirement from June 30, 2022. He has driven Astroscale’s impressive growth in the U.K. and Europe since opening the office on Harwell Campus in April 2017. Under his leadership, Astroscale Ltd. has grown to 100 employees and is the largest space company on the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus. He has secured a funding income of more than $30 million from the European Space Agency, UK Space Agency and other government & industry partners. In his role as Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the In-orbit Servicing & Manufacturing Working Group (IOSM), part of UKspace, Auburn has driven development of the on-orbit servicing economy, predicted to be worth more than $1 billion to the U.K. by 2030. His efforts to support on-orbit servicing has created a vibrant network of partnerships and funding opportunities between industry, the U.K. government and academia.

“I am delighted to pass on the leadership of Astroscale Ltd. to Nick Shave, with whom I’ve collaborated for many years,” said Auburn. “Thank you to our teams in Japan, the U.S., Israel, and our U.K. team who have worked so hard with our European industry and government partners. I am very proud of all that we have achieved together over the last five years to realise our vision of a sustainable space economy.”