The ClearSpace-1 mission will target a piece of debris in orbit around the Earth. (Image Credit: ClearSpace SA)
A quick search here at element14, and you'll find a collection of potential space debris collection strategies. Hopefully, this one will actually do something.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced the first-ever mission, called ClearSpace-1, to launch a four-armed robotic space debris collector into space. It will retrieve a piece of space junk from orbit around the Earth. The mission will be carried out under a consortium led by ClearSpace, a startup based in Switzerland. ClearSpace-1 is set to launch in March 2025.
The objective of the ClearSpace-1 mission is to retrieve a piece of space junk owned by the ESA, which stated the debris isn’t functioning and is currently in low-Earth orbit. If the mission is successful, it will pave the way for opportunities to use technologies in future missions that can remove space debris from orbit. ESA’s general director stated that new rules should be set in place that would ensure those who launch satellites would take responsibility for removing them from orbit once they become inactive.
“Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be if all the ships ever lost in history were still drifting on top of the water,” said Jan Wörner, ESA’s director-general. “That is the current situation in orbit, and it cannot be allowed to continue.”
For the past 60 years, thousands of tonnes of debris has cumulated around the Earth, which consists of old rocket parts, 3,500 non-functioning satellites, and around 750,000 smaller fragments, some of which came from collisions between bigger pieces of debris. The fragments are usually moving at a velocity of 20,000km/h (12,500 mph).
The debris issue is expected to continue in the upcoming years, with the chances of collisions potentially increasing as thousands of satellites are launched into orbit.
An agreement for the funding of the mission took place at Space19+, ESA’s mistrial council, which took place in Seville, Spain, at the end of November. A final proposal for the project, which was granted by the ESA, is expected to take place in March 2020.
ClearSpace-1’s target is a piece of debris called Vespa, which is currently 800km above the Earth in orbit and was left there by ESA’s Vega launcher in 2013. Vespa weighs 100kg, which is the same weight as a small satellite, and was selected as the target due to its sturdy construction and simple shape, making it less likely to fragment when grabbed.
The ClearSpace-1 mission will be grabbing onto its target, Vespa. The launch is set to take place in March 2025. (Image Credit: ClearSpace SA)
The ClearSpace-1 ‘chaser’ will be launched into a 500-km orbit for tests and commissioning before being raised to its target, Vespa. Once it reaches Vespa, the chaser will grab it using a quartet of robotic arms, dragging it out of orbit before being burned up in the atmosphere with the chaser.
This project sets up an ambition to build a clear-up robot that cleans up debris by ejecting it into the atmosphere before moving on to other pieces of debris, capturing and de-orbiting them.
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