The ClearSpace-1 (ClearSpace One) mission is an ESA Space Debris Removal mission led by ClearSpace SA (a spin-off of the EPFL in Lausanne) and its industrial team. The mission's objective is to demonstrate the complete value chain of Active Debris Removal by removing a Vega payload adapter (Vespa Upper Part) from orbit. The mission will demonstrate technologies for rendezvous,

capture Capture may refer to: *Asteroid capture, a phenomenon in which an asteroid enters a stable orbit around another body *Capture, a software for lighting design, documentation and visualisation *"Capture" a song by Simon Townshend *Capture (band), an ...

, and deorbit for end of life satellites and builds the path to

space junk Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, or space garbage) are defunct human-made objects in space—principally in Earth orbit—which no longer serve a useful function. These include derelict space ...

remediation. Destructive reentry will destroy both the captured satellites and itself. In 2019, the company won a tender for a

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (120 ...

Space Safety program contract in the Active Debris Removal/In-Orbit Servicing (ADRIOS) project. It will target the Vega Secondary Payload Adapter from the 2013 Vega flight VV02 for de-orbiting. The mission contract, worth 86 million euros, was signed in November 2020. As of January 2023, ClearSpace-1 is expected to be launched in 2026 on a

Vega-C Vega ( it, Vettore Europeo di Generazione Avanzata, or french: Vecteur européen de génération avancée, or en, European Vector of Advanced Generation, meaning "Advanced generation European carrier rocket") is an expendable launch system in ...

launch vehicle. The ClearSpace-1 mission was preceded by e.Deorbit, a space debris removal mission under planning by ESA in 2010s. In the end, the e.Deorbit mission was not implemented, the satellite was not built and the whole e.Deorbit mission was cancelled. ClearSpace-1 continues the ESA space debris removal aspirations.

References

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External links

ClearSpace
official homepage Proposed satellites Technology demonstration satellites Satellites of Switzerland 2020s in Switzerland 2026 in spaceflight Space debris