ClearSpace secures a major UK contract to help clean up space

The company’s solution responds to the pressing need to preserve the increasingly congested space environment and is a stepping stone towards other services in orbit. 

In October 2021, the UK Space Agency (UKSA) commissioned the ClearSpace UK-based subsidiary to perform a feasibility study for a mission to remove at least two UK-registered derelict objects from low Earth orbit (LEO). In this study, the team explored different mission scenarios, defined the mission and system requirements and selected the technologies necessary for the implementation of the mission. In March 2022, ClearSpace and its partners successfully completed this first study phase.

ClearSpace has now been awarded a £2.2M contract by the UKSA to conduct the next phase of this mission. This design phase will last until October 2023 and will finish with the preliminary design review — an evaluation of the progress on the design and the technical adequacy of the proposed mission. The Clearing of the LEO Environment with Active Removal (CLEAR)mission, which will advance key technology building blocks, is a catalyst for the development of commercially viable disposal services.