The European Space Agency has selected to make significant changes to its ClearSpace-1 mission, selecting a new mission lead and a new target.
In 2019, ESA selected Swiss startup ClearSpace from a field of over a dozen candidates to lead a debris removal mission that would target a Vega payload adaptor drifting in orbit around Earth. The 100-kilogram payload adaptor was launched aboard the second flight of Vega back in 2013.
On 24 April, ClearSpace announced that the ClearSpace-1 mission had undergone major revisions. The primary reasons cited for the changes were ESA’s desire to adjust toward a more expedited and cost-effective approach and a collision involving the original target that significantly increased the mission’s risk.
Moving forward OHB SE will take over the responsibility of leading the ClearSpace-1 consortium. The Bremen-based company will provide the satellite bus and will be in charge of system integration and launch. ClearSpace will be responsible for the close proximity and capture operations once the vehicle is in orbit.
In addition to the change in leadership, the mission’s target has also been adjusted, with ClearSpace-1 now expected to rendezvous and capture PROBA-1. The 94-kilogram ESA technology demonstrator was launched aboard an ISRO PSLV rocket in October 2001.
The ClearSpace-1 vehicle will employ a four-armed capture system to grab the target satellite. It will then perform a deorbit manoeuvre, putting the pair on a destructive trajectory. The mission will be concluded with the pair burning up in Earth’s atmosphere.
