The European Space Agency is sending a giant claw into orbit to clean up space junk

There are approximately 2,800 active satellites currently in orbit around the Earth. It is a lot, but it is absolutely nothing compared to the amount of dead objects – AKA space junk – even around the world.

Scientists estimate that nearly 3,000 dead satellites are currently in orbit around our planet, which ignores the 900,000 pieces of debris, less than 10 centimeters long, that could potentially cause catastrophe if it hit the wrong satellite at the wrong time.

Scientists and engineers are currently hard at work trying to solve the problem, but the European Space Agency is currently in the early stages of executing one of the more bizarre solutions: a space claw that will grab larger deceased satellites and guide them back to the land. atmosphere in which both the satellite and the claw itself can burn in peace.

The plan was initially conceived in 2019, but now ESA is officially signing a contract with Swiss start-up ClearSpace SA to build and launch its first debris removal mission, called ClearSpace-1.

The Claw’s first target is a VESPA (Vega Secondary Payload Adapter) that has been orbiting Earth since it helped launch ESA’s Vega rocket in 2013. The VESPA weighs 112 kg and, according to ESA, is about similar in size to a small satellite.

ESA is contributing 86 million euros to the cost of the mission. ClearSpace is expected to pick up the rest as it attempts to do long-term junk removal business. Hopefully, this mission will become the first of many, as humanity discovers new and innovative ways to clean up the gigantic chaos that is made of the space above our atmosphere.

ClearSpace SA hopes to launch its first mission in 2025.

Long live the claw.