UK funds $81M satellite cleanup mission to clear orbit debris

The UK Space Agency has awarded a 61-million-pound contract, worth about 81 million US dollars, to remove two defunct British satellites from orbit between 2029 and 2032. A manipulator spacecraft launched from the Shetland Islands will capture and deorbit the objects. The mission targets the growing problem of space junk, where thousands of inactive satellites and fragments crowd low Earth orbit. Why it matters: even small debris can damage active satellites or the International Space Station, and this project tests whether robotic cleanup can be done at a meaningful scale.

Would you support your country funding orbital cleanup missions like this one?

#spacejunk #satellitecleanup #ukspaceagency