Europe is designing a space debris collector. Preparatory technical work began in the summer of 2020. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the startup ClearSpace are participating in joint meetings on the project.
A private consortium led by ClearSpace SA will assemble a prototype system. Space debris collector ClearSpace is a Swiss startup, a subsidiary of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. This company has developed a garbage collector that uses four robotic limbs to pick it up.
The space debris collection mission will be called ClearSpace-1. If all goes well, it will be the first realized initiative to collect debris from orbit. The ideal space debris scavenger is a robot that performs multiple grabs and sequentially launches debris into Earth’s atmosphere for destruction.
The ClearSpace-1 mission aims to remove a 120 kg system debris called VESPA. It was part of an ESA mission seven years ago. ESA plans to launch a robot with tentacles into space that can remove debris from orbit. Hugged by debris, the space robot will fly into the atmosphere at high speed and burn up.
The mission has an estimated budget of $133 million. The launch is scheduled for 2025.
Problematic space debris
Space debris is the satellites, their parts and rocket components left behind after the work of space missions. There is so much space debris that it threatens the safety of working satellites and spacecraft. The probability of collision with any debris is now very high.
The problem has been exacerbated in recent decades with a significant increase in the number of spacecraft launches. According to ESA, there have been about 5,500 different space launches since 1957. As of early 2019, there were more than 128 million objects of various sizes in space, including 34,000 objects larger than 10 cm. Space debris is a real threat, and several companies are developing technologies in this area. Some are trying harpoon or trap tactics, others are testing laser destruction.
The UK’s RemoveDEBRIS mission demonstrates networked capture technology. The developers spent six years testing in special towers and in thermovacuum chambers. In addition to the network, the RemoveDEBRIS satellite is equipped with a harpoon that can pierce the hull of space objects.
A slightly different “cleaning” technology is being tested in Japan. The Japanese State Aerospace Exploration Agency is working on a satellite that destroys space debris by burning it with a laser beam. The mission is planned to be tested in space in 2023.
