Cleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa …
Clear space
There are currently about 2,800 live satellites around the Earth. That’s a lot, but it’s absolutely nothing Comparison of the amount of disrupted matter – one space junk – also revolves around the globe.
Scientists estimate that there are currently about 1,000,000 dead satellites orbiting our planet, with 900,000 pieces of debris, no less than 10 centimeters long.
Scientists and engineers are currently working hard to solve the problem, but the European Space Agency is currently in the early stages of implementing one of the more bizarre solutions: a space claw that will capture large defunct satellites and bring them back to Earth. An environment where both the satellite and the claws can burn peacefully.
The project was initially conceived in 2019, but now ESA is officially signing an agreement with Swiss start-up Clear Space SA, called Clear Space-1, to build and launch its very first debris removal mission. .
Chloe’s first target is the VSPA (Vega secondary payload adapter) that orbits the Earth since it helped launch the ESA Vega rocket in 2013. The VSPA weighs 112 kg and, according to the ESA, is close to the shape of a small satellite.
ESA is contributing up to 86 million to the cost of this mission. It is expected that Clear Space will outperform the rest as it seeks long-term business of junk removal. Hopefully this mission can be the first among many, as humanity discovers new and innovative ways to clean the beautiful mess created from the space above our atmosphere.
Clear Space SA hopes to launch its first mission in 2025.
Long live claws.
