A group of companies will design a mission to remove derelict objects from Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Following a successful feasibility study that began in October 2021, the UK Space Agency awarded a £2.2 million contract to the consortium last month to move into the preliminary design phase.

The so-called ‘Clear’ mission aims to remove two derelict UK space objects that have been inactive for more than 10 years. They currently occupy the congested LEO region above 700 km in altitude and without intervention they would remain in orbit for over a century.

The team is led by UK-based ClearSpace, which formed in 2018 with precisely this goal in mind. This phase will last until October 2023 and will finish with the preliminary design review, an evaluation of the progress on the design and the technical adequacy of the proposed mission.

A spokesperson for ClearSpace added, “leveraging existing developments performed for other active debris removal (ADR) missions, ClearSpace brings significant expertise in this area, including capture system robotics, low-cost sensor technologies, and navigation techniques and algorithms.”

Rory Holmes, ClearSpace’s UK Managing Director said, “ClearSpace is honoured to work with the UK Space Agency to improve the safety and sustainability of our orbital neighbourhoods. We are excited to work with cutting-edge UK-based space companies – Alden Legal, AstroAgency, Critical Software, Deimos, MDA, Orbit Fab, Satellite Applications Catapult, University of Surrey’s STAR LAB – to make space debris removal a reality.”