Why the European Space Agency is spending $ 103 million to remove just one unwanted item from space

The European Space Agency has signed a historic agreement with Swiss Startto ClearSpace to clear a single piece of space debris by 2025. The price tag of $ 103 million is steep, but this mission – involving an orbit, mouth-shaped net—could herald the start of a whole new space industry.

The new contract, ad at the end of last week, is unique in that the mission will involve “the first removal of an item of space debris from orbit,” according to ESA. ClearSpace, a spin-off of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), is the commercial supplier of this mission, and it will seek the help of partners in Germany, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Poland and several others. European countries.

The target in question is the Vega secondary payload adapter (or Vespa), which has been spinning in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) since 2013. This 247 pounds (112-kilogram) the payload adapter successfully sent a Proba-V satellite into space, but, like so many other elements of LEO, it is currently useless, posing a potential danger to operating satellites. and maybe even the International Space Station.

86 million euros (103 million US dollars) seems like a huge sum to spend to clear out a single piece of space debris, but ESA is making a significant investment. The technology required for the ClearSpace-1 mission, in which a spacecraft will “join, capture and shoot down” the Vespa payload adapter, will likely be exploited in similar future missions (assuming that particular strategy will work). Ultimately, ESA hopes to launch “a new commercial sector in space”.

The ClearSpace Solution will involve a spaceship and conical thread who will ‘eat’ the Vespa payload adapter. This will require unimaginable precision, as objects will move at speeds of up to 17,400 miles per hour (28,000 km / h). Slight calculation errors could make the target object rebound before the net can close or even cause a serious collision. With its cargo secured, the ClearSpace spacecraft will fall into Earth’s atmosphere and burn on re-entry.

According to ESA, the number debris object currently being tracked is now at around 22,300. With each element added, the risk of a collision increases, making LEO a dangerous place for satellites and astronauts. The elimination of this debris “has become necessary and it is our responsibility to ensure that the generations of tomorrow can continue to benefit from space infrastructure and exploration”, according to to ClearSpace, adding that ClearSpace-1 “will demonstrate the technical and commercial ability to dramatically improve the long-term sustainability of spaceflight.”

ClearSpace has its conical thread, but several other companies are developing their own concepts. RemoveDEBRIS, for example, uses a harpoon to catch capricious objects in orbit. Only time will tell which strategy works better, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the solutions are to come up. The time has come for us to clean up our mess.