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tech2 News StaffNovember 27, 2020 18:03:18 IST
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a € 86 million ($ 102 million) contract with ClearSpace SA to bring a large chunk of orbital junk back to Earth. ClearSpace is a Swiss startup providing in-orbit and space debris removal services and was selected by ESA in 2019 for this mission. Clearspace-1 will launch in 2025.
Artificial deceased objects that orbit in space, especially Earth’s orbit, are called space debris. It can also consist of natural meteoroid debris. NASA has estimated that there are more than 20,000 pieces of debris larger than a softball that are currently in orbit around the Earth. It will continue to build only with the growth of the commercial space industry and the launch of more rockets into orbit and into deep space.
Some of this debris moves at speeds of up to 28,163 km / h (17,500 mph) and is fast enough to allow a relatively small piece of orbital debris to damage a satellite or spacecraft. This creates a dangerous environment for satellites, which are positioned and often moved to accommodate the orbital path of the orbiting debris.
A computer-generated image of objects in Earth’s orbit that are currently being monitored by the US Air Force. About 95% of these objects are debris / non-functioning satellites. Image credit: NASA
ESA said the agreement with ClearSpace SA will lead to the “first active debris removal mission” and a bespoke spacecraft will capture and drop part of a rocket once used to transport a satellite into orbit.
Experts have long warned that hundreds of thousands of pieces of space debris surrounding the planet, including an astronaut’s lost mirror, pose a threat to functioning satellites and even the International Space Station. Several teams are working on how to address the problem.
The target: Vespa
The mission will target the Vespa (Vega Secondary Payload Adapter). It was used to hold and then release a satellite in 2013. It weighs around 112 kilograms (247 lbs), which is almost the size of a small satellite.
According to Press release, the object was left in a gradual disposal orbit of approximately 801 km by 664 km of altitude.
New way of doing things
This ESA deal also shows that it is taking a similar path that NASA, and more recently ISRO, have taken by incorporating commercial actors to design, build and operate a mission while obtaining the necessary funds from the government space agency. With the upcoming debris return mission, ESA has signed an end-to-end service contract with ClearSpace instead of developing its own spacecraft and all other tools needed for the mission.
According to a Press release, ESA has purchased the “initial mission” and will contribute its experience to the Active Debris Removal / In-Orbit Servicing (ADRIOS) project under ESA’s space security program. However, the startup will have to raise its funds for the “rest of the cost of the mission” through other investors.
They will also receive help from other companies from Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, Poland, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Romania.
With input from the Associated Press
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