When Astroscale U.S. was looking for a new building to move into, company executives weren’t necessarily looking for a sleek, high-tech look associated with many aerospace companies. But still, Ron Lopez, company president, was a little skeptical when architect Emily Adams started asking about Astroscale’s values and vision.
“I thought, ‘Aren’t we supposed to be picking out colors? Aren’t we supposed to be cutting right to the chase,’ ” Lopez recalled.
During a tour of Astroscale’s headquarters, a former train depot and foundry along the train tracks in south-central Denver, Lopez echoed employees’ comments that the time Adams and the other folks at Denver-based Neoera took to gather input paid off.
“What we ended up with was not a place that was made for us, it’s a place that is us. That’s the big difference,” Lopez said. “It’s really a reflection of who we are as a company, a reflection of our values, our behaviors, our visions.”
Adams said she had the green light to boldly go where many clients might not want an architect to go. “When you’re hired to be creative, that’s a dream client right there, someone who actually appreciates design and appreciates creativity.”
The 13,000-square-foot building that dates back to at least 1910 blends the historic with the new. Original timber beams and columns and brick work evoke a piece of Denver’s past. A huge boiler that’s more than a century old is still cemented into the floor.
In the office’s central space, blue, sliding shoji screens pay homage to Astroscale’s Japanese roots. A patio in the back features a Zen garden, grills, a fire pit and tables.
Astroscale is the U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astroscale Holdings, a global company that specializes in providing on-orbit services to spacecraft, including refueling, repair and upgrade of satellites and removing space debris. Lopez has referred to Astroscale as the “AAA of space.”
Astroscale spokeswoman Krystal Scordo said the company was founded out of the drive to make the use of space more sustainable. As more satellites are launched to provide telecommunications and other vital services on Earth, the more congested space has become, she said.
NASA estimates there are nearly 6,000 tons of materials and millions of pieces of space junk flying around in low Earth orbit, about 1,200 miles above the Earth’s surface. There is also significant debris where geostationary satellites are located, roughly 22,000 miles above the surface.
Debris can reach speeds of about 18,000 mph, posing risks to people and property in space and collisions that could knock out systems on Earth. “If there’s a bad day in space, which is borderless, it affects everyone,” Skordo said.
Satellites designed by Astroscale are being built as part of global efforts to better manage the traffic congestion in space. Its clients include the U.S. Space Force and the Department of Defense as well as private companies.
In designing Astroscale’s headquarters, Adams’ architectural studio incorporated paintings, murals and displays highlighting the company’s mission, history and spacecraft.
The office also has a number of elements that speak to the staff’s passion for the profession as well as the fun of working for a space company. An upstairs lounge incorporates “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” memorabilia, reflecting employees’ preferences for other-worldly escapism. An illuminated bar is suspended from the ceiling. People can walk up stairs to the mezzanine or take a transporter, aka elevator.
Neoera worked with local companies on the bar, shoji screens and other features.
Adams said the building is made up of three bays. The central area has a library, a kitchen and the space with the sliding screens, which can pivot to make smaller spaces.
“As we were planning, we really wanted something that customers could enter into that could be secured from the more private work spaces,” Adams said. “It has the highest, most beautiful ceilings with the exposed structure and wood columns.”
The bays to the north and south include individual work stations and collaborative work areas. Private spaces are also provided. Some are named for planets in “Star Wars” movies.
Other areas include a mission operations center and a laboratory where Astroscale tests equipment and software.
Adams’ company was one of four architectural companies interviewed to design Astroscale’s headquarters. Neoera started work in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first “visioning session” was conducted mostly remotely. Adams asked employees to write down words to describe Astroscale. They included “innovative,” “welcoming” and “not sterile.”
Neoera presented the company’s leadership team with different color palettes. Team members rejected the more neutral colors, saying they preferred bolder hues and creativity.
Neoera and Astroscale staffers texted back and forth with ideas for furnishings and designs. The project became a community effort.
“(Adams) was with us from start to finish. She wasn’t just an architect,” said Jerod Estey, Astroscale’s senior business operations manager. “She literally went furniture shopping with us. She picked out every color, helped us with every piece of furniture.”
The staff moved into the building in late 2022 and the company held a grand opening in 2023. A total of 81 people work at the headquarters. Another 10 are based in Washington, D.C.
One of the company’s goals was to have the kind of space that would draw people to the office in the post-pandemic era when remote work is still a big part of the routine.
“Everyone actually wants to come here and they just wish they had more desks,” Skordo said. “And it’s like, wow, that’s refreshing. We never hear that anymore.”
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