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The European Space Agency has signed a landmark agreement with Swiss startup ClearSpace to remove a single object of space debris in 2025. The price tag of $ 140 million is high, but this mission – involving a mouth-like orbiting network – could herald the start of an entirely new space industry.
The new contract, announced late last week, is unique in that the mission will involve “the first removal of a space debris object from orbit,” according to ESA. ClearSpace, a spin-off of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), is the commercial provider of this mission and will seek the help of partners in Germany, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Poland and many other European countries.
The target in question is the Vega Secondary Payload Adapter (or Vespa), which has been spinning in low orbit (LEO) since 2013. This 112 kilogram payload adapter has successfully sent a Proba-V satellite into space, but, so many other elements in LEO, currently useless, presenting a potential danger to the functioning satellites and perhaps also to the International Space Station.
Archive image from 2013 showing the Vespa adapter (Vega Secondary Payload Adapter) in the background, with the Proba-V satellite in the foreground. (Image: ESA – Karim Mellab)
86 million euros ($ 140 million) sounds like a lot of money to spend on removing a single object of space debris, but ESA is making a major investment. The technology required for the ClearSpace-1 mission, in which a spacecraft will “encounter, capture and drop” the Vespa payload adapter, will likely be leveraged in similar future missions (assuming this particular strategy will work). Ultimately, ESA hopes to launch “a new commercial sector into space”.
The ClearSpace solution will involve a spaceship and a conical mesh that will “eat” the Vespa’s payload adapter. This will require unimaginable accuracy, as objects will travel at speeds reaching 28,003 km per hour. Slight miscalculations could cause the target object to bounce before the net can close or even cause a serious collision. With its cargo secured, the ClearSpace spacecraft will fall into Earth’s atmosphere and burn on its return.
According to ESA, the number of currently tracked debris objects is now around 22,300. With each added item, the chance of a collision increases, making LEO a dangerous place for satellites and astronauts. Removal of this debris “has become necessary and it is our responsibility to ensure that the generations of tomorrow can continue to benefit from space infrastructure and exploration,” according to ClearSpace, adding that ClearSpace-1 “will demonstrate technical prowess and commercial capability. to significantly improve the long-term sustainability of space flight. “
ClearSpace has its own conical mesh, but many other companies are developing their own concepts. RemoveDEBRIS, for example, uses a harpoon to grab rebel objects in orbit. Only time will tell which strategy works best, but it is becoming increasingly clear that solutions are on the way. The time has come for us to clean up our mess.
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