Edinburgh / London, 3 October 2022. – Space startup ClearSpace has been awarded a US $2.46 million contract by the UK Space Agency to conduct the next design phase of the “Clearing of the LEO Environment with Active Removal” (CLEAR) mission, ClearSpace said. The phase will finish with the preliminary design review at the end of 2023.
ClearSpace has already performed the feasibility study for the mission to define mission and system requirements and select necessary technologies. CLEAR will remove at least two UK-registered low Earth orbit spacecraft from space. The second phase of this contract highlights the UK’s commitment to establishing a safe and sustainable space.
Inactive objects in orbit around the Earth usually stay in space for a century, endangering the safety of space operations. Removing space debris is crucial to protect critical space-based infrastructure supporting transport systems, climate change monitoring, financial transactions and weather forecasting.
ClearSpace will leverage its capture system robotics, low-cost sensor technologies, and navigation techniques and algorithms during the mission. The consortium led by the company consists of nine UK entities who will help boost the county’s space ecosystem. The project is expected to create over seventy jobs as well as supporting indirect employment and supply chain opportunities, ClearSpace said.
