ESA - ClearSpace logo.
Nov. 26, 2020
ESA signs an 86 million euro contract with an industrial team led by the young Swiss company ClearSpace SA for the purchase of a unique service: the first removal of space debris in orbit.
ClearSpace-1
So in 2025 ClearSpace SA will launch the first active debris removal mission, ClearSpace-1, which will rendezvous with a Vespa payload adapter to capture and deorbit it.
A new methodology for ESA
At the Space19 + Ministerial Council, ministers granted ESA the necessary funding to enter into a service contract with a commercial supplier for the safe removal of an inactive object in low earth orbit.
Following a competitive process, an industrial team led by ClearSpace SA, a spin-off company of the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL), was invited to submit the final proposal. With the signing of this contract, a crucial step in establishing a new business sector in space will be taken.
ClearSpace-1 with captured Vespa
Purchasing the mission as part of an end-to-end service contract, rather than developing an ESA-defined spacecraft for in-house operation, represents a new approach for ESA. ESA purchases the initial mission and provides key expertise within the framework of the ADRIOS (Active Debris Removal / In-Orbit Servicing) project of its Space Security program. ClearSpace SA will finance the remaining cost of the assignment through commercial investors.
The size of the target, Vespa, is close to that of a small satellite
The ClearSpace-1 mission will target a Vespa dual-launch carrier structure of the Vega rocket, left after the second flight of the European Vega launcher in 2013 in an orbit meeting debris mitigation standards, at an altitude of approximately 660 km to 800 km. With a mass of 112 kg, the size of the target, Vespa, is close to that of a small satellite.
Process of Vespa capture
In nearly 60 years of space activity, more than 5,550 launches have tracked 42,000 objects in orbit, of which approximately 23,000 are still in space and are being tracked regularly. With an average today of nearly one hundred launches annually, and with decays continuing to occur at a historic average rate of four to five per year, the number of space debris will continue to steadily increase.
Image above: ClearSpace-1 will target the tapered top portion of the payload adapter that put Proba-V into orbit.
ClearSpace-1 will demonstrate its technical and commercial ability to significantly enhance the long-term sustainability of spaceflight. The mission is supported under the ESA Space Security program, based at the ESOC Operations Center located in Darmstadt, Germany.
Participation of European industry in ClearSpace-1
Companies from a large number of European countries are participating in the ClearSpace-1 mission. While the management of the industrial team is provided by ClearSpace AG, contributions come from companies in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, Poland, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Romania.
Distribution of space debris around the Earth
Media representatives are invited to attend an online panel discussion on Tuesday, December 1 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. CET. Information and accreditation request at this link:
https://www.esa.int/Newsroom/Press_Releases/Call_for_Media_ESA_and_ClearSpace_SA_sign_contract_for_world_s_first_debris_removal_mission
Related links:
ClearSpace SA: https://clearspace.today/
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL): https://www.epfl.ch/en/
ClearSpace-1: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2019/12/ClearSpace-1
Space19+: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/ESA_ministers_commit_to_biggest_ever_budget
Images, Animations, Text, Credits: ESA/ClearSpace/CNES/Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
Greetings, Orbiter.ch
