The Swiss start-up ClearSpace has made it its mission to increase the orbit of debris parts to free. The first mission should in the second half of 2026 take place. The spacecraft will be equipped with a Vega-C-Rockets launched by the French space company Arianespace.
In the Mission ClearSpace-1 should a piece of space junk be “accompanied, captured and removed,” says one press release from Arianespace. The mission is managed by the European Space Agency ESA funded. If everything goes according to plan, the ClearSpace-1 spacecraft will become one payload adapter dispose of left behind by a Vega rocket launch in 2013.
The part is already in a “gradual disposal circuit“. This means that sooner or later, even without intervention, it will fall back into the earth’s atmosphere and burn up there.
Robot claws are designed to catch garbage
“The simple form of this space debris will allow to demonstrate the technologies of the spacecraft and its robotic arms,” added Arianespace in the broadcast. ClearSpace-1 is said to have objects with a type claw to grasp and hold. The spacecraft then enters the earth’s atmosphere together with the debris, where they then burn up.
Space debris has become an increasing problem in recent years. According to ESA, since the 1950s, more than 12,000 satellites sent into space with more than 3,000 discarded spacecraft still in orbit. Annually also Hundreds of satellites sent into low earth orbits. The Starlink constellation alone is expected to increase from the current 4,000 satellites 40,000 satellites grow.
Dangerous projectiles
There is also so-called space debris, i.e. debris objects that were left behind during space missions. The ESA estimates that approx 36,500 objects with a diameter of more than 10 centimeters and 1 million objects with a diameter between 1 and 10 centimeters are in orbit. 330 million parts should be between 1 millimeter and 1 centimeter in size.
Each of these parts orbits the earth at an incredible speed of several 10,000 kilometers per hour. Even the smallest particles can become dangerous projectiles that can damage other satellites and spacecraft.
50 percent success rate of Vega-C
The Vega-C rocket has launched twice so far. During the first flight in July 2022 was successful, the second launch failed on 20th of December. About two and a half minutes after launch, a nozzle failed, which is why the mission was “terminated”. The cargo – 2 high power satellites – did not reach the intended orbit.