In Europe , a space debris removal apparatus is being designed . Preparatory technical work started in the summer of 2020. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the startup ClearSpace are participating in joint project meetings.
A private consortium led by ClearSpace SA will assemble a prototype system. ClearSpace is a Swiss start-up subsidiary of the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne. This company has developed a garbage collector that uses four robotic limbs to capture.
The space debris removal mission will be named ClearSpace-1. If all goes well, it will be the first debris collection initiative to be implemented from orbit. The ideal space debris cleaner is a robot that performs multiple captures and sequentially launches debris into the Earth's atmosphere for destruction.
The ClearSpace-1 mission aims to remove a 120kg debris from a VESPA system. He was part of the ESA mission 7 years ago. ESA plans to launch in the space robot with tentacles, which can clean a litter orbit. Embracing the trash, the space robot will fly into the atmosphere at high speed and burn up.
The development agreement is planned to be signed in November this year. The mission's budget is estimated at $ 133 million. The launch is scheduled for 2025.
Problematic space debris
Space debris is satellites, their parts and rocket elements left after the work of space missions. There is so much debris in space that it endangers the safety of working satellites and spacecraft. The likelihood of a collision with any debris is now very high.
The problem has worsened in the last decade, when the number of spacecraft launches has increased significantly. According to ESA, since 1957, about 5.5 thousand different space launches have been carried out. At the beginning of 2019, there were more than 128 million objects of various sizes in space, including 34 thousand objects larger than 10 cm. Space debris is a real threat, several companies are developing technologies in this area. Some try harpoon or trap tactics, others experience laser destruction.
British mission RemoveDEBRIS demonstrates network capture technology. The developers have spent 6 years testing in special towers and in thermal vacuum 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 Research Agency is working to create a satellite that destroys space debris by burning it with a laser beam. A test mission in space is planned to be held in 2023.
