Services
ORC provides end-to-end orbital debris retrieval services across LEO, MEO, and GEO. Subject to manifest availability, regulatory cooperation, and the object being where the client says it is.
Select a service tier
Standard Retrieval
Our default service. Suitable for the majority of single-object retrievals — which is to say, the majority of things clients are prepared to admit they have left in orbit. Includes capture, repositioning and disposal to client specification.
Scope of works
- Pre-mission conjunction analysis (CA) — independently verified
- Object identification & characterisation report
- Rendezvous, proximity operations & capture
- Repositioning to graveyard orbit or controlled deorbit
- Full chain-of-custody documentation, including the awkward parts
- Post-mission report within 14 working days. It will be thorough.
Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Payload class | Small to medium debris (≤ 2,400 kg) |
| Orbital altitude range | 200 km – 22,000 km (LEO & MEO) |
| Typical mission duration | 21–34 days from launch |
| Lead time | 12–16 weeks (subject to manifest) |
| Vehicle | ORC-V1 “Maud” / ORC-V2 “Reg” |
| Capture method | Robotic grapple, fixture-of-opportunity |
| Disposal | Deorbit, graveyard transfer, or return-to-Earth (additional charge; rarely chosen) |
| Pricing | From £4.2m per mission. Quoted on application. |
| Insurance | Included up to £25m. Never claimed. Knock on wood. |
Pricing & lead time
All pricing is provided on a per-mission basis following receipt of object characterisation data. Quotations are valid for 90 days from issue. If your situation changes significantly within that window, call us.
Express Retrieval
For when standard lead times are not acceptable, which is a polite way of describing most of the situations in which clients call us about S-02. We do not ask what changed. We have found it is better for everyone if we do not ask what changed.
Scope of works
- Priority manifest slot (subject to ORC-V4 “Patience” being available, which she usually is)
- Accelerated CA & characterisation — same rigour, less time
- Everything in S-01 thereafter, faster
- Daily client briefings during execution phase. We know you will call anyway.
Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Payload class | Small to medium debris (≤ 1,800 kg) |
| Orbital altitude range | 200 km – 22,000 km (LEO & MEO) |
| Typical mission duration | 14–21 days from launch |
| Lead time | 4–8 weeks (subject to standby vehicle) |
| Vehicle | ORC-V4 “Patience” — kept on standby for exactly this |
| Capture method | Robotic grapple |
| Disposal | Controlled deorbit (default) or graveyard |
| Pricing | From £6.8m. Surcharge applies. You knew this when you called. |
| Cancellation | 50% retainer if stood down within 14 days of launch. Non-negotiable. |
Pricing & lead time
All pricing on a per-mission basis. Quotations valid 90 days. For S-02, we recommend not waiting 89 days before responding.
Bulk Clearance
For constellation retirement, post-fragmentation cleanup, and other situations involving a larger number of objects than anyone publicly wants to be associated with. Pricing improves materially per object beyond the fourth. We have never asked why the fourth specifically. The maths works out.
Scope of works
- Shell-wide CA & debris census — we count everything, including the pieces
- Mission planning for up to 12 objects per sortie
- Multiple captures per orbit revolution where geometry allows
- Consolidated re-entry over Point Nemo — the most remote place on Earth, by design
- Aggregate documentation package. One report. All objects. Numbered.
Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Payload class | Up to 12 objects per mission (combined ≤ 4,800 kg) |
| Orbital altitude range | 300 km – 1,200 km (LEO) |
| Typical mission duration | 60–95 days from launch |
| Lead time | 6–9 months. Plan ahead. |
| Vehicle | ORC-V3 “Marigold” — currently in unscheduled refit, available Jul 2026 |
| Capture method | Net deployment + robotic consolidation |
| Disposal | Consolidated controlled deorbit. All of them. At once. |
| Pricing | From £14.4m. Per-object cost drops ~22% beyond Obj. 4. Volume helps everyone. |
| Geometry requirement | Targets must share orbital shell within ±60 km. We cannot bend physics. |
Pricing & lead time
Volume pricing applies from the fourth object. Multi-year framework arrangements available for clients with ongoing decommissioning requirements, which is a phrase that covers a surprising range of situations.
Request a quote Book a discovery callResponsible Deorbit & Disposal
Where the object is already in your custody and you simply need it to stop existing in its current location. We provide the disposal leg only. We take the word “responsible” seriously. It is in our name. We put it there deliberately.
Scope of works
- Re-entry corridor planning & regulatory clearance
- Coordination with air traffic and maritime authorities — they appreciate the notice
- Controlled atmospheric re-entry over uninhabited zone
- OR transfer to recognised graveyard orbit (GEO + 300 km nominal)
- Re-entry observation report within 7 working days. Confirmed. In writing.
Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Payload class | Up to 5,000 kg (heavier objects on a case-by-case basis — do ask) |
| Orbital altitude range | LEO, MEO, GEO |
| Typical mission duration | 8–18 days |
| Lead time | 8–12 weeks (GEO: minimum 6 months, not a suggestion) |
| Vehicle | Mission-dependent. We will tell you which one. |
| Capture method | N/A — disposal-only. You already have it. |
| Disposal | Controlled re-entry or graveyard transfer. Not the third option. There is no third option. |
| Pricing | From £2.9m LEO. From £5.6m GEO. GEO is more expensive. GEO is always more expensive. |
| Documentation | Full regulatory filing. UNOORI registry update. Client report. All of it. |
Pricing & lead time
All pricing per mission. GEO disposal requires a survey mission first. Please allow 6 months minimum. We understand this is inconvenient. The alternative is worse.
Request a quote Book a discovery callAt-a-glance specification matrix
For clients who prefer their decision-making to involve a table. We respect this. All figures are per-mission. All figures are subject to change if you have not been entirely forthcoming about the object. This happens more than you would expect.
| Parameter | S-01 Standard | S-02 Express | S-03 Bulk | S-04 Disposal-only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead time | 12–16 weeks | 4–8 weeks | 6–9 months | 8–12 weeks |
| Mission duration | 21–34 days | 14–21 days | 60–95 days | 8–18 days |
| Altitude | LEO · MEO | LEO · MEO | LEO | LEO · MEO · GEO |
| Max payload | 2,400 kg | 1,800 kg | 12 objects / 4,800 kg | 5,000 kg |
| Vehicle | V1 “Maud” / V2 “Reg” | V4 “Patience” | V3 “Marigold”* | Mission-dependent |
| Capture | Robotic grapple | Robotic grapple | Net + grapple | Client-supplied |
| From | £4.2m | £6.8m | £14.4m | £2.9m |
| Conjunction analysis | Included | Included (priority) | Shell-wide | If applicable |
| Documentation | Standard | Standard + daily | Aggregate | Full regulatory |
| Insurance included | £25m | £25m | £40m | £10m |
What we do not do
We are asked about all of these with some regularity. The answer is no. In some cases the answer is “no, and please do not ask again.”
Active payloads
We do not retrieve active spacecraft without the registered operator’s written consent and a release of liability. We do not care what you were told by the previous operator. Get it in writing. Then call us.
Nuclear-powered objects
ORC does not handle objects with onboard radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Specialist contractors exist for this. We are happy to make an introduction, and happier still not to discuss why we know them.
Sub-1 cm debris
Individual capture of sub-centimetre debris is not currently cost-effective. We know this is not what you wanted to hear. We also cannot find it. Nobody can find it. That is the problem with sub-centimetre debris.