This start-up wants to be the garbage collector in space

The Swiss start-up Clearspace wants to use its technology to become a garbage collector in space. The company announced a first clean-up mission for 2026.

Since mankind discovered space for itself, countless tons of space junk have been romping around in our orbits. No wonder, since many countries around the world have already launched dozens of satellites and rockets into the near reaches of space. But what actually happens in the long term to the rubbish that we leave behind?

The start-up Clearspace also asked itself this question. The Swiss company has been considering to what extent we could clean up our orbits since 2018. The result is a small spaceship that is intended to dispose of space debris in the long term. A first mission is planned for the coming years.

Clearspace plans to start space garbage collection in 2026

This is called Clearspace-1 and is scheduled to start in 2026. According to current plans, an Arianespace Vega-C rocket could then carry the spaceship into space. Once there, it should make its way to a rocket payload adapter that has been in our orbit since 2013.

Clearspace’s spacecraft then grabs the 112-kilogram component and burns up with it in Earth’s atmosphere. If the venture is successful, in the future the start-up ships could dispose of several parts per mission. Because waste is increasingly becoming a problem in our orbit.

Over 34,000 pieces of scrap float through our orbits

For example, Arianespace estimates that there are currently 34,000 pieces of space debris in orbit that are over ten centimeters in size. There are also around 6,500 satellites. By 2030, it is even expected that there will be 27,000 units. So it seems high time to clean up the mess.

It will be clear in three years at the latest whether Clearspace’s technology has potential. Perhaps the Clearspace-1 mission will then mark the beginning of a major cleanup operation in Earth orbit.

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