This is not an alien and not a modern weapon. Swiss startup ClearSpace wants to clear the Earth’s orbit of scrap metal with its spider machine. Space debris is a growing threat to astronauts.
ClearSpace decided that humanity should finally clean up after itself. For decades, successive space missions have delivered countless tons of iron to low Earth orbit (LEO). The accumulation of scrap metal has already created a graveyard around our planet, and space stations like NASA’s ISS have to dodge debris in their path.
ClearSpace with its first mission to clean up space - will eliminate a large piece of debris
The Swiss company recently announced that it has allocated space for its car aboard the Arianespace Vega-C rocket. This means that the startup will be able to turn years of preparation into the first space project.
The ClearSpace-1 space mission will consist in sending a specially prepared apparatus into orbit, a bit reminiscent of a satellite. However, the main difference is clearly visible - the equipment has four long “spider legs”. You can probably guess why they were installed.
The ClearSpace device is just supposed to catch space hardware like a huge hand. The VESPA (Vega Secondary Payload Adapter) rocket element was chosen as the first target. The debris weighs over 100 kg and has been in orbit since 2013.
However, it is also literally a suicide mission. It is expected that after the capture of space debris, the satellite will head towards Earth. Both debris and the ClearSpace device are expected to enter our planet’s atmosphere and then burn up there.
Earth’s orbit filled with space debris
“Currently, over 6,500 active satellites fly over our heads, as well as over 34,000 pieces of space debris larger than 10 centimeters. In addition, the number of satellites is expected to increase to 27,000 by the end of this decade. At the same time, the amount of scrap will increase. The numbers speak for themselves. We need to find a solution to this problem,” says Stefan Israel, head of Arianespace.
The first ClearSpace-1 mission should be just the beginning of a long collaboration with space agencies. A few years ago, the European Space Agency (ESA) selected ClearSpace as the company to participate in space cleanup missions under the Space Security Program.
As development progresses, specially trained machines will perform increasingly ambitious cleaning tasks, including capturing many pieces of scrap at the same time. At the moment, the first mission and launch of Arianespace Vega-C is scheduled for 2026.
Source: Wprost
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