Plan to Remove Space Debris from Orbit Approved
Edited by Yujin Tchun
Illustration from Clear Space
A large satellite equipped with a 4 armed claw designed to bring space junk out of orbit has been approved for construction by the European Space Agency (ESA). The satellite idea put forward by Swiss company Clear Skies now has a tentative launch date of 2026.
The satellite's aim is to deal with the threat posed by space debris which can be anything from spent rocket boosters, to out-of-use satellites. These can pose a threat to rocket launches and satellites. On numerous occasions, the International Space Station has been forced to make manoeuvres to ‘dodge’ space debris.
To combat this problem, the ESA commissioned Clear Skies to draw up plans for a new de-orbiting system in 2019. The approved idea features a large, four-pronged claw that will be able to grab onto a variety of pieces of space junk. It can then adjust their orbits to send them hurtling toward earth where it can safely burn up in the atmosphere.
The primary target of the first satellite will be the upper stage of the Vega Secondary Payload Adapter (VESPA) which was part of a rocket launched by the ESA in 2013 (included in the illustration above). Eventually, Clear Skies plans to work on an autonomous system that can track and remove dangerous space debris.
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