Astroscale wins £15M UK MoD contract for orbital defense program LEDA

The UK Ministry of Defence has named Astroscale prime contractor for LEDA, a new orbital defense program. The £15 million ($20 million) contract, announced Oct. 26, will be supported by BAE Systems and Open Cosmos and builds on Astroscale's ELSA-d and ADRAS-J rendezvous and inspection missions.

• LEDA contract is worth £15 million ($20 million)
• BAE Systems and Open Cosmos join as key partners
• UK allocated £3.2 billion ($4.3 billion) for space through 2030
• Program builds on ELSA-d and ADRAS-J missions