Science & Tech · Space · 3 hrs ago
UK plans 2029 launch of satellite to remove space junk
The UK Space Agency has hired ClearSpace UK to build and operate a spacecraft that will remove dead satellites from orbit.
The mission is part of the UK Active Debris Removal Programme, aimed at preventing defunct spacecraft from becoming dangerous space junk.
The craft will use four robotic arms to capture tumbling satellites that were not designed to be handled in space.
Its first targets are two British satellites at risk of becoming debris.
The mission is planned to launch from Shetland in 2029, and is intended to be the first space mission completed from start to finish in the UK.
Space debris can collide and create more debris, potentially making some orbits unusable and threatening services that rely on satellites, including communications and navigation.
The public will be invited to name the spacecraft, and ClearSpace UK says it could be refuelled and reused for later missions.
The UK plans to launch a satellite in 2029 to remove defunct spacecraft from orbit.
The UK Space Agency signed a £61.3 million contract with ClearSpace UK to design, build, launch and operate the spacecraft.
The craft is designed with four arms to capture satellites and guide them out of orbit so they burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
Its initial targets are two British satellites at risk of becoming space debris.
The programme aims to reduce the risk of collisions creating more debris and making some orbits unusable.
- Who
- The UK Space Agency and ClearSpace UK are involved in the programme.
- What
- They are developing a satellite to capture defunct spacecraft and remove them from orbit.
- When
- Launch is planned for 2029.
- Where
- The satellite is planned to launch from SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland.
- Why
- To remove satellites at risk of becoming space debris and reduce the danger of debris collisions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The UK Space Agency signed a £61.3 million contract with ClearSpace UK for the spacecraft programme.
A public competition to name the satellite is due to launch.
The spacecraft is planned to launch from SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland.
- Contract
- £61.3 million
- Contractor
- ClearSpace UK
- Launch year
- 2029
- Launch site
- SaxaVord spaceport, Shetland
- Grabbing arms
- Four
- Initial targets
- Two British satellites
What people are saying
You could potentially get this ball of space debris around the Earth, making some of the orbits unusable.
From the 1950s all the way forward, spacecraft have never been designed to be serviced or touched in orbit,
So we've quite literally gone after the hardest problem; how do you control a spacecraft that was never meant to be controlled externally?
The beauty of the arms is that they independently articulate, so we can grapple the most complex of shapes, take control of it safely and, importantly, do so with the minimal risk of creating any more space debris.