A Swiss company will undertake a cleanliness drive in space for the first time. The European Space Agency has said that it is signing a deal of 86 million euros for this work with representatives of Swiss startups.
The company, called Clear Space, hopes to send a special satellite to space in 2025 that will collect pieces of garbage orbiting the Earth’s orbit. Currently, thousands of pieces of waste and other types of waste are circling the Earth, orbiting the earth. This puts the risk of colliding with the satellites currently operating there and even the International Space Station.
The director of the European Space Agency (ESA), Yan Woerner, announced the mission last December, saying “Imagine how dangerous it would be to sail in the sea if all the ships lost in history were still hovering in the water”.
The founder and CEO of Clear Space warns that the threat will increase further as there are plans to send hundreds to even thousands of satellites in the coming years. According to him, it is necessary that the failed satellites be removed from a very crowded area.
How will cleanliness?
The first mission of space cleaning will be done in clearspace-1 space at a fixed place with a piece of rocket of 112 kg wasted. This piece of rocket is being called Vespa. In 2013, it helped bring a satellite to space. ESA says that it will be good for a beginner due to its strong structure. Subsequent missions will clean up more difficult items and then garbage piles.
After reaching Vespa, Clear Space-1 will pull it out of Earth’s orbit so that it will burn on its own after reaching the atmosphere. The European Space Agency says that ESA will find a new way of working by paying to clear space instead of developing a way to clean garbage from space itself. The agency will pay for its expertise and first mission. The Swiss company will receive the remaining expenses from business investors.
