Several startups have turned their attentions to space junk. Over 130 million lumps of trash are currently hurtling around Earth at speeds of up to 15km per second. If one of them hits a satellite, the impact can be devastating.
Swiss startup ClearSpace wants to use a litter-picking robot. The company has signed a contract with French rocket giant Arianespace for the debut mission. ClearSpace aims to complete the first-ever removal of space debris from orbit in 2025.
Europe has become fertile ground for spacetech startups focused on collision avoidance, with many innovative solutions to tackle the problem of proliferating space debris.
The UK's Space Operations Centre is tracking the threats with growing alarm, having issued almost 12,000 alerts regarding potential collisions over the last six months.
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