Space junk: UK wants to send a spacecraft to grab two dead satellites from space

Britain is putting £5m into a mission to remove two dead satellites from space by burning them in Earth’s atmosphere

To Jonathan O’Callaghan

The UK has pledged £5m to fund a mission to remove space junk. The project aims to return two of her satellites, which have been disabled in this decade, back to Earth’s atmosphere.

UK Science Minister George Freeman, speaking today at the Secure World Foundation’s Space Sustainability Summit in London, said that as part of the UK’s Space Sustainability Plan, the Earth’s orbit will be kept clean and orderly. He gave an overview of the country’s efforts. This includes creating regulatory standards for the safe operation of satellites and reducing insurance costs for sustainable missions.

“We are at the forefront of a massive satellite explosion,” Freeman said. “We want to make sure we lead the science of sustainability.”

The UK active debris removal mission, first announced last year, is expected to launch the spacecraft into orbit in 2026. Once there, travel to her two dead British satellites orbiting Earth, pull them back into the atmosphere and burn them to prove it. A single ship can remove multiple debris.

“One vehicle is the right way to remove multiple pieces of debris,” says Hugh Lewis of the University of Southampton, UK. More than 30,000 pieces of him in Earth orbit are now being tracked, including about 2,500 dead satellites.

Current debris removal programs, such as a mission by Swiss company ClearSpace scheduled for 2025 and funded by the European Space Agency, focus on removing just one piece of debris. The British mission is the first to target multiple debris, and the removal spacecraft is designed to remain in Earth orbit, potentially refueling to tackle more junk in the future. there is.

ClearSpace, UK-Japanese company Astroscale and UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) are three companies competing for the deal. Two of his companies were selected to share the £5m fund in July and he will be selected for a contract worth up to £60m by the end of 2023.

“Space debris is a big problem,” Freeman said. “The aim is to make the UK the world leader in satellite search systems.”

Each company has a different proposed way of carrying out its mission. Astroscale uses a robotic arm to grab each dead satellite. Clearspace plans to use four arms to “hug” objects and pull them down. SSTL uses a giant net to grab one and arm the other.

The two defunct UK satellites to be selected have yet to be selected from over a dozen targets. While there are no major legal hurdles for countries targeting their own satellites, there are some mission issues that need to be cleared with the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, says Joanne, an attorney at London-based firm Alden Legal. Wheeler said. “What if I go over there and stick it to the wrong object?” she asked, saying it might be a national security issue.

The scheme, which provides the largest amount of funding for a single British space mission, is expected to spur more commercial debris removal missions. “We are trying to speed up the development of these technologies,” says Jacob Gere of the British Space Agency. “He sends one satellite to remove two objects. The amount of objects in space is a net loss. This is an important step for everyone, not just the UK.”

Sign up for our free Launchpad newsletter and travel the galaxy and beyond every Friday