The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced its participation in ” the world’s first mission to remove several small telecommunications satellites from orbit when they reach the end of their operational service “.
Space debris is a real danger
In recent years, the number of space debris has drastically increased. According to the ESA, there are currently in Earth orbit nearly 34,000 objects larger than 10 cm, about 900,000 from 1 cm to 10 cm and finally, nearly 128 million from 1 mm to 1 cm. These objects make you fear the worst and can lead to serious collisions. This is notably what happened on March 18, 2021, when a remnant of the Russian rocket Zenit-2 hit the Chinese satellite Yunhai 1-02.
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” Ensuring responsible use of space is critical to protecting today’s interconnected world, as our digital economy and society rely on the ability to communicate says Elodie Viau, Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications at ESA. Sometimes, collisions caused by space debris can have even more serious consequences; in 2019, the destruction of an Indian satellite directly threatened the International Space Station and its occupants. In addition, space debris struck the Canadarm2 robotic arm, located on the station, in June 2021.
From now on, the number of satellites is increasing sharply each year, in particular because companies such as SpaceX with Starlink, Amazon with its Kuiper Project or OneWeb, deploy constellations of thousands of devices in order to bring high-speed Internet to remote areas. of the world.
Earth’s orbit is filled with space junk, and the number is only growing. Image: ESA
ESA collaborates with Astroscale and OneWeb
” With thousands of satellites already in orbit and thousands more launched each year, it is increasingly important to tackle the problem of space debris and find new ways to remove disabled spacecraft and other types of space junk, to reduce the cost of debris damage to satellite operators and ensure the safety and sustainability of space “, explains George Freeman, British Minister for Science, in the press release of the ESA.
With this in mind, the Space Agency has decided to invest 14.8 million euros in the design of ELSA-M, a spacecraft developed by the company Astroscale which will be able to remove several satellites out of service in a single mission. . Its launch is scheduled for the end of 2024. This mission is part of the Sunrise ESA program ; it is not uncommon for the agency to collaborate with European companies in order to encourage innovation in the space industry of the Old Continent.
OneWeb, the European constellation, is also participating in the project. It currently has 428 satellites placed in orbit at an altitude of 1,200 kilometers out of the 650 planned. Thus, the removal of out-of-service satellites by Astroscale’s spacecraft will help it complete its constellation and maintain low Earth orbit as a shared resource among other space agencies and companies.
Animated demonstration of how ELSA-D, predecessor of ELSA-M, captures a small satellite in space:
A service for future satellite operators
ESA and OneWeb have already collaborated in the field of telecommunications within the framework of the Sunrise program, with OneWeb notably developing a beam-hopping satellite capable of responding to changes in communications traffic.
” Responsible space is central to our mission at OneWeb and we are committed to sustainable practices in all environments in which we operate. The development of the ELSA-M servant prototype is another important step towards a responsible approach to space, ensuring that our satellites can be de-orbited and the low Earth orbit environment is protected as a natural and shared resource. said Massimiliano Ladovaz, CTO at OneWeb.
After the demonstration of its prototype in 2024, Astroscale aims to provide a debris removal service to satellite operators.