Since the advent of spaceflight on 1957, the number of man-made objects in space has steadily increased — as well as space debris. The population of objects in space gets denser as the number of launches grows, which raises the possibility of collisions in outer space. As a result, the issue of space debris takes on a greater importance not only to the space organizations, private sectors but also to the societies. If this issue fails to cope with the possibility of space management and space debris removal, it will continue to be a challenge for humanity in the years to come. For the purpose of tackling the space debris mitigation issues, international space organizations like as ESA, NASA, IADC, and UNOOSA have developed the ADR (active debris removal) mission. What is Active Debris Removal?
Active debris removal (ADR) refers to mission that can interact with passive spacecraft or rocket bodies to minimize their remaining orbital lifespan. ADR involves the removal of intact but non-functional and/or uncontrolled objects (i.e., defunct satellites and rocket bodies) from LEO. In essence, a lifetime limitation requirement must be established and applied before active debris removal can be effectively carried out. This would provide a preliminary criterion for determining which objects are potential candidates for removal. Although active debris removal is an expensive option, making judicious choices as to what is (or will be) removed from orbit can make a significant difference to the risk of collisions.
Such efforts are obviously only acceptable if all mitigating measures advised by IADC are strictly implemented. ESA may become one of the first actors on ADR through the Clean Space initiative. The analysis of optimal environment remediation strategies has just begun, but in parallel, mitigation measures may also need to be stepped up in order to achieve a balance of activities that yields successful outcomes. There are several removal methods, such as removal by mass, removal by area, removal by altitude or inclination, or a mix of all three. Furthermore, the uncontrolled re-entry of huge objects poses a safety danger to the population on Earth, and the overall re-entry risk is growing on a yearly basis as a result of the 25-year limit. As a result, the approach used for massive debris clearance must also consider what is needed to limit the danger to public safety.
In 2019, ESA selected ClearSpace from a field of more than a dozen candidates to lead the first mission to remove an ESA-owned item from orbit. Supported by ESA’s new Space Safety Program, the mission is being procured as a service contract with a startup-led commercial consortium to help establish a new market for on-orbit servicing, as well as debris removal.
ClearSpace and Arianespace signed a launch contract for ClearSpace-1, the first active debris removal mission that will capture and deorbit a derelict space debris object of more than 100 kg. The launch, scheduled starting as soon as the second-half of 2026, will use the new European, light launcher, Vega C, to release the spacecraft into SSO for commissioning and critical tests. The servicer spacecraft will then be raised to the client object for rendezvous, capture and subsequent atmospheric reentry.
Launch (planned): 2026
Industrial team: Lead by Clearspace SA
Target: 112 kg Vespa upper stage
Target object altitude: 664–801 km
References:
Bonnal, C., Ruault, J.-M., & Desjean, M.-C. (2013). Active debris removal: Recent progress and current trends. Acta Astronautica, 85, 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2012.11.009
ClearSpace to launch the first active debris removal mission with arianespace vega C – satnews. (2023, May 21). http://news.satnews.com
ClearSpace-1. (n.d.). Www.esa.int. https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/ClearSpace-1
Mark, C. P., & Kamath, S. (2019). Review of active space debris removal methods. Space Policy, 47, 194–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2018.12.005
Vega C. (n.d.). Arianespace. https://www.arianespace.com/vehicle/vega-c/
Singh, Prabhat & Chand, Dharmahinder & Pal, Sourav & Mishra, Aadya. (2021). Study of current scenario & removal methods of space debris. p10. 223–236.