Ibadan, 22 April 2024. – ClearSpace has announced that its CLEAR Mission has achieved Preliminary Design Review (PDR) maturity, marking a significant advancement in the collective aim of making our space operations more sustainable. The CLEAR Mission aims to use ClearSpace’s robotic capture system to safely remove two dead, washing-machine-sized, UK satellites from orbit, mitigating the risk that these pieces of space debris pose to other space operations.
The successful completion of the PDR confirms that ClearSpace’s solution meets all of the mission requirements and is ready for the next stages of development. Furthermore, one of the highlights of the current development phase is the creation of a robust breadboard of all core technologies, including a highly agile robotic arm. The robotic arm, which ClearSpace designed and refined in less than one year through multiple hardware iterations, exemplifies the Company’s commitment to rapid innovation and cutting-edge engineering.
Speaking on the milestone, Rory Holmes, UK Managing Director at ClearSpace, said, “We are incredibly happy to achieve this critical milestone, not only showing that these complex missions are feasible but also validating our core technology developments.” The Managing Director also added, “We are very grateful to the UK Space Agency for all their support. This collaboration has allowed us to move fast – really fast – in developing core technologies that can be used for a wide range of in-orbit services right here in the UK.”
The CLEAR mission is a critical response to the growing problem of space debris, which poses a significant risk to satellites and crewed space stations and the future of space exploration. By leveraging advanced technologies, ClearSpace aims to ensure cleaner and safer orbits, enabling sustainable space operations for generations to come.
