PARIS — The European Space Agency has commissioned the world's first mission to capture a piece of space debris from Earth's orbit in 2025.<br /><br />The ESA says that the Swiss startup ClearSpace was awarded with the contract for ClearSpace-1, a spacecraft that will sport four robotic arms for grabbing debris.<br /><br />ClearSpace CEO Luc Piguet says the spacecraft will be a "tow truck" that clears space debris to make room for satellites.<br /><br />According to the ESA, ClearSpace-1 will recover the VESPA, a secondary payload adapter that has been left adrift since it helped deliver the Proba-V satellite to space in 2013.<br /><br />The VESPA is close in size to a small satellite, and its simple shape and sturdy construction makes the adaptor a prime candidate for the experiment.<br /><br />ClearSpace-1 will be launched into a 500-kilometer orbit to undergo testing before it moves up to VESPA's higher orbit, which sits at an altitude of 660 by 800 kilometers.<br /><br />Once in position, ClearSpace-1 will utilize its quartet of arms to catch Vespa under the ESA's supervision.<br /><br />After ClearSpace-1 captures the target, it will return to the Earth's atmosphere and burn up with the VESPA.<br /><br />The ESA says it will refine the chaser's capabilities with the goal of launching follow up missions in the future, including capturing multiple objects.
