Britain Backs $81 Million Robotic Claw Mission to Remove 2 Dead Satellites

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 25

$81 million from the UK Space Agency will fund ClearSpace UK to build a robotic spacecraft that captures and deorbits two defunct UK-registered satellites.
The vehicle, due to launch in 2029 from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, is designed to grab targets moving around 17,000 mph, lower them and let atmospheric drag burn them up.
Britain aims to complete both removals by 2032 and prove one refuelable spacecraft can handle multiple cleanup jobs instead of being discarded after a single mission.
The push comes as orbital congestion worsens: ESA says about 47,140 objects are regularly tracked around Earth, with collisions risking a debris cascade known as Kessler syndrome.
Debris already threatens spacecraft and astronauts—NASA sheltered ISS crews after Russia's 2021 anti-satellite test—and successful removals could help seed a commercial in-orbit cleanup industry.