space debris removal
ESA signs contract for first space debris removal mission
The European Space Agency (ESA) has finalized an 86 million euro ($104 million) contract with Swiss start-up ClearSpace SA to complete the world's first space debris removal mission.
Astroscale raises $51 million in Series E, $191 million overall
Astroscale Holdings Inc. raised $51 million in a Series E investment round, bringing total funding for the Tokyo-based orbital debris removal startup to $191 million.
Astroscale wins first half of JAXA debris-removal mission
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has selected Astroscale to send a spacecraft into orbit to inspect a discarded Japanese rocket upper stage, a step that would pave the way for a debris-removal mission.
Tethers Unlimited says early results of deorbit hardware test promising
Hoyt said observations from the U.S. military’s Space Surveillance Network showed the Prox-1 satellite deorbiting more than 24 times faster than before deploying the tape.
Iridium would pay to deorbit its 30 defunct satellites — for the right price
Iridium Communications completed disposal of the last of its 65 working legacy satellites Dec. 28, while leaving open the possibility of paying an active-debris-removal company to deorbit 30 that failed in the decades since the operator deployed its first-generation constellation.
Swiss startup ClearSpace wins ESA contract to deorbit Vega rocket debris
The mission, dubbed ClearSpace-1, is slated to launch in 2025 to capture and deorbit a 100-kilogram Vespa payload adapter an Arianespace Vega left in orbit after deploying ESA’s Proba-V remote-sensing satellite.
Astroscale, ClearSpace aim to make a bundle removing debris
Within a year, Astroscale plans to begin a complex series of demonstrations to show the startup’s spacecraft can grab a piece of space debris and dispose of it in the atmosphere.
Astroscale, ClearSpace aim to make a bundle removing debris
Within a year, Astroscale plans to begin a complex series of demonstrations to show the startup’s spacecraft can grab a piece of space debris and dispose of it in the atmosphere.
Debris removal missions face technical, legal and financial hurdles
Even if a company obtains government permission to collect a defunct satellite or spent rocket stage in orbit, the project raises legal questions.
Rise of the megaconstellations breathes life into active debris removal schemes
The megaconstellations promising global broadband service are heightening concern about orbital debris and creating demand for space-based trash collection.
