The European Space Agency (ESA) is joining forces with orbital debris removal company Astroscale to reduce the massive cloud of space debris in Earth orbit. This initiative will help communications company OneWeb continue to build its telecommunications network.
In a new press release, the European Space Agency announced that Astroscale, a company focused on the removal of space debris, with a 14.8m-euro investment from the agency with space communications company OneWeb, to develop an ESA to develop a spacecraft that will capture satellites in low Earth orbit. He announced that he will take part in the Partnership Project. Developed by Astroscale, the ELSA-M spacecraft will be able to lift multiple satellites decommissioned in a single mission and will launch at the end of 2024.
Removing mission accomplished satellites from orbit will pave the way for OneWeb to launch more telecommunications satellites as part of its joint Sunrise Program with ESA.
British Science Secretary George Freeman said in a press release from ESA: “With thousands more launched each year alongside thousands of satellites already in orbit, tackling the problem of space debris and finding new ways to dispose of obsolete spacecraft and other space junk, “This is increasingly important both to reduce the cost of debris damage for satellite operators and to ensure space is safe and sustainable.”
OneWeb has launched 428 of the 650 planned communications satellites orbiting 1,200 kilometers above Earth and helps them remove decommissioned satellites, complete the satellite program, and use low Earth orbit as a collaborative resource for other space agencies and companies. will help protect them. Removing space junk will also help reduce the risk of future collisions and prevent network disruptions. ESA and OneWeb had previously collaborated on space telecommunications as part of the Sunrise Program, and OneWeb had previously developed a “beam hopping satellite” that could respond to changes in communications traffic.
There are more than 27,000 debris in Earth’s orbit, NASA says, and all that trash threatens humans with music, weather forecasts, and the satellites that connect with each other. As the space economy grows, properly continuing the effort to clean up defunct satellites will be vital to man-made spacecraft, and Astroscale can help lead the effort…
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