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precision motors maxon, inc.
Published on 10/16/2020
A spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) has been responsible for a € 100 million project for the European Space Agency, ESA. ClearSpace SA now heads a consortium developing the first debris removal mission in Earth’s orbital field.
Our lives are increasingly dependent on space technologies. We use satellites for meteorology, communications, navigation, and observation of disaster areas. According to the European Space Agency, ESA, about 40% of modern mobile applications depend on space and satellite technology. However, this infrastructure is at risk.
95% of all objects in low Earth orbit, that is, at altitudes between 200 and 2000 kilometers, are defective and are no longer controllable. They are space debris, such as discarded rocket stages, solar panels (including those from satellites), tools, paint chips, and solid fuel particles. This debris poses a risk to active satellites and to future space missions and their crews. Even the International Space Station has had to maneuver to avoid space debris on several occasions.
Mini-satellite constellations
The situation is increasingly urgent due to the new satellites still in orbit. While only 50 spacecraft went into orbit each year between 2009 and 2012, 800 are scheduled for the current year, and the trend is upward. In the future, most of the newcomers to space will be nanosatellites, as part of constellations of networks. For example, the OneWeb company began building a constellation of around 650 minisatellites in 2019. Its goal is to allow Internet access even in the most remote places on Earth. Projects like this, as well as the emerging field of space tourism, require the removal of space debris.
With more than 34,000 human-made objects currently registered with diameters greater than ten centimeters, we have reached a critical juncture. If humanity does nothing about it, an estimated 140,000 garbage objects will accumulate in orbit by 2065. This is because the collision of two objects creates a debris field with a multitude of parts. There is a risk of a dangerous chain reaction.
ESA’s first debris removal mission
Now a Swiss “disposal satellite” is ready to do the pioneering work of removing a debris object for the first time. Planned for 2025, the ClearSpace One mission, led by the startup of the same name, will capture the discarded VESPA upper stage (VEga Secondary Payload Adapter) from a rocket launched in 2013 and guide it into Earth’s atmosphere.
The prototype of this space cleaner will use a “tracker” consisting of four robotic arms to grab and move the disused upper stage at an altitude of 720 kilometers. Twelve Maxon units operate the tentacle arms of ClearSpace One. After that, the stage of the captured rocket will be positioned so that it can be decelerated out of orbit. This procedure will use jet engines on multiple sides. During a controlled re-entry, both VESPA and ClearSpace One will burn up in the atmosphere, the largest “incineration plant” in history.
The idea is that future disposal satellites repeat this procedure as often as possible. Heavier objects will also be carried into low Earth orbit to free up space for subsequent space operations.
Researchers at the EPFL Space Center in Switzerland have been working on space debris capture systems since 2010. The engineering knowledge they have gained over the years went into the development of ClearSpace One. In 2017, the project spun off, resulting in the founding of ClearSpace SA, which began operations in the maxon laboratory at EPFL. As Luc Piguet, CEO and Co-Founder of ClearSpace SA, observed, “The maxon lab is a hub for technology transfer, making it ideal for startups.” The growing ClearSpace team has been enhanced by specialized consultants from leading space agencies and companies with mission experience. The advisory council includes such luminaries as Jean-Jacques Dordain, former ESA director general, and Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier.
It is remarkable that a startup is responsible for a 100 million euro project. In 2019, ClearSpace prevailed on its own against Airbus, Thales Alenia Space (France) and Avio (Italy). Luc Piguet said: “Although we had great confidence in the application we submitted, we were surprised that we were allowed to take the lead on a consortium of projects on our own.” However, he remained pragmatic: “We have taken economic considerations into account from the beginning.” The costs incurred for each exorbitant should be as low as possible. This beat ESA. Piquet added with a modest smile: “We are assuming a great responsibility.”
ADRIOS program
The ClearSpace One mission is part of ESA’s ADRIOS (Active Debris Removal / In-Orbit Service) space safety program. Your goal is to start removing potentially hazardous space debris. This is expected to pave the way for future missions that contribute to the responsible development of space. Eight ESA member states, including Switzerland, are contributing € 86 million to the project. The remaining 14.2 million euros come from sponsors.
You can see a 3D animation of all the debris orbiting the Earth at stuffin.space
