UK signs $81 million deal to launch claw-equipped satellites to clear space junk
The mission aims to remove two defunct satellites from orbit by 2032, using a spacecraft with four grabbing arms.
The United Kingdom has signed an $81 million contract to launch a spacecraft with giant grabbing arms to remove defunct satellites from orbit.
The UK Space Agency's deal with aerospace company ClearSpace is for the country's Active Debris Removal Programme, officials announced Wednesday.
The mission aims to launch from Scotland in 2029 and remove two dead satellites by 2032.
READ MORE: Astronauts arrive at Kennedy Space Center for SpaceX launch to space station
READ MORE: Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk prepares for six-month mission to space station
"Space junk and debris pose an immense and growing challenge, but with our homegrown expertise, the UK is determined to lead the global effort to clean up space," said UK Space Minister Liz Lloyd.
The specialist spacecraft will use four specialized grabbing arms to swoop up the dead satellites, then gently escort the debris into the lower atmosphere where it will be incinerated.
If successful, it would be the first time a spacecraft has disposed of more than one satellite in this way, the agency said.
The refuelable satellites will be parked at a safe orbit after their mission so they can be used for future cleanups.
"By backing this world-first mission, we will protect the satellites that underpin modern life, from keeping us connected with loved ones and delivering accurate weather forecasts to keeping our country safe," Lloyd said.
Currently, these dead orbiters pose a great risk to their active counterparts that provide GPS, communications and other everyday utilities, the UK government announced in a statement.
A May report found that 15,587 of the 33,269 tracked objects circling the planet constitute debris from space launches.
This space junk can whip through the air at up to 20,000 mph, posing an enormous risk to space missions and infrastructure in low Earth orbit.
According to the European Space Agency, a 1 cm bit of junk is enough to knock a spacecraft out of commission, or even penetrate the shields of the International Space Station.
"The technologies being developed through ADR will help establish the UK's position at the forefront of a new generation of space services while supporting a sustainable future for activities in space," said Alice Bunn, co-director of the UK Space Agency.
The International Space Station crew had to seek shelter onboard in 2021 when it passed dangerously close to a cloud of Russian junk.
Such an event could have caused a catastrophic hull rupture, ripping a hole in the station's living quarters and allowing the pressurized cabin to lose all breathable air in mere seconds.
Risks on Earth
Space environmentalist Ewan Wright from the University of British Columbia told Space.com that 124 rocket stages reentered the atmosphere in 2024.
"If that level is sustained for the next decade, the risk of someone somewhere being killed by rocket debris alone is 33%," he warned.
Due to the soaring number of rocket launches, the chances of someone getting struck by the debris cast off during re-entry could go up exponentially.
With files from New York Post