First space debris clearance mission on Earth

In 2025, the first active debris clearance mission, ClearSpace-1, will assemble, capture and dismantle to retract the top of a Vespa (Vega secondary payload adapter) from the European Vega launcher. This was left in a phased-out orbit of approximately 800 km by 660 km altitude, in accordance with space debris mitigation regulations, following the second Vega flight in 2013. ClearSpace-1 will use the technology robotic arm developed by ESA to capture the Vespa, then perform a controlled atmospheric reentry. Credits: ClearSpace SA

ESA has signed a € 86 million contract with an industrial team led by Swiss start-up ClearSpace SA for the purchase of a unique service: the first removal of a piece of space debris from orbit .

As a result, in 2025 ClearSpace will launch the first active debris clearance mission, ClearSpace-1, which will assemble, capture and dismantle to fit the top of a Vespa (Vega Secondary Payload Adapter) used with the European Vega launcher. . This object was left in a “ progressive storage ” orbit (approximately 801 km elevation by 664 km), in accordance with space debris reduction regulations, following Vega’s second flight in 2013.

Paying for such a service contract rather than directly acquiring and managing the entire mission represents a new way for ESA to do business – conceived as the first step in creating a new business sector in space.

Along with the partial purchase of this initial mission – ClearSpace itself will increase the remainder of the cost of the mission through commercial investors – ESA is also contributing key technologies for flight, developed under the Clean Space initiative of the agency via its Active Debris Removal / In- Project Orbit Servicing, ADRIOS.

These include advanced guidance, navigation and control systems and vision-based AI, allowing the hunter satellite to safely close to the target autonomously, as well as robotic arms to achieve capture.

Difficult achievements ahead

“Think about all the orbital captures that have taken place so far and they have all taken place with cooperative and fully controlled target objects,” says ESA Director General Jan Wörner.

“With space debris, by definition, such control is not possible: instead, objects are adrift, often flipping randomly.

“This first capture and elimination of a non-cooperative space object is therefore an extremely difficult achievement. But with the global number of satellites set to increase rapidly over the next decade, regular removals are becoming essential to keep debris levels under control, to avoid a cascade of collisions that threaten to worsen the debris problem.

Luc Piguet, Founder and CEO of ClearSpace comments: “At orbital speeds, even a screw can strike with explosive force, which cannot be protected by mission designers; instead, the threat must be managed by actively removing debris. “

“Our ‘tow truck’ design will be available to clear key orbits of debris that could otherwise render them unusable for future missions, eliminating increasing risks and responsibilities for their owners and benefiting the space industry as a whole. Our goal is to create affordable and sustainable in-orbit services. “

Luisa Innocenti, head of ESA’s Clean Space Office, adds: “The plan is for this pioneering capture to form the basis of a recurring business case, not just for debris clearance by responsible space players around the world. whole, but also for in-orbit maintenance: these same technologies will also allow in-orbit refueling and maintenance of satellites, thus extending their lifespan. Ultimately, we envision this trend expanding into in-orbit assembly, manufacturing and recycling. “

European industry leads debris removal

ClearSpace – a spin-off company created by an experienced team of space debris researchers at EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne – leads an industry team that includes companies from several European countries, and contributions will come from companies in Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, Poland, United Kingdom, Portugal and Romania.

With a mass of 112 kg, the ClearSpace-1 Vespa target is close to the size of a small satellite, while its relatively simple shape and robust construction make it a suitable first objective, before moving on to larger captures. and more difficult by follow-up missions – possibly including multi-object capture.

The ClearSpace-1 mission will initially be launched into a 500 km lower orbit for commissioning and critical testing, before being carried to target orbit for rendezvous and capture using a quartet of robotic arms, flying under the supervision of ESA. The combined “space robot” fighter and the Vespa target will then be desorbed to burn in the atmosphere.