Shafaqna English- The rapid growth of satellites and orbital debris is creating a new commercial opportunity: cleaning up space. Companies such as Astroscale and ClearSpace are developing spacecraft capable of removing debris, inspecting satellites and extending their operational lives, as governments and space agencies increasingly seek solutions to orbital congestion, according to CNBC.
Earth’s orbit is becoming increasingly crowded with active satellites, defunct spacecraft and discarded rocket stages. Nearly 30,000 objects are currently tracked in space, according to OrbitRadar, including about 18,500 active satellites and thousands of debris fragments and spent rocket bodies.
The problem is expected to worsen even without additional launches. Objects already in orbit can collide and fragment into smaller pieces, creating dangerous clouds of debris. Traveling at several kilometres per second, even tiny fragments can seriously damage spacecraft and threaten astronauts.
The growing risk is creating demand for a new category of in-orbit services. Japanese company Astroscale is developing spacecraft designed to approach, capture and remove debris, while also servicing satellites before they become unusable. The company has demonstrated spacecraft docking in orbit and is seeing increasing interest from governments and the defense sector.
Astroscale reported a 142% increase in revenue for the fiscal year ended in April, although the company continues to record significant operating losses and relies substantially on government-backed projects. The sector remains at an early stage, with public agencies currently providing much of the demand.
Swiss startup ClearSpace is pursuing a broader vision, describing itself as a potential servicing layer for space infrastructure. Its technology is designed to capture debris and either return it to Earth or move it into a less congested disposal orbit. The company is also targeting satellite inspection, repair and maintenance, potentially creating a much larger market than debris removal alone.
However, major challenges remain. Space debris removal is technically complex, expensive and legally complicated. There is still no clear global framework determining who is responsible for removing abandoned spacecraft and rocket hardware from orbit.
The European Space Agency has warned that space debris represents a classic “tragedy of the commons”, requiring international cooperation. Regulation could also become a key driver of commercial demand by requiring satellite operators to safely decommission spacecraft at the end of their useful lives.
As satellite constellations expand and space infrastructure becomes increasingly essential to communications, navigation, finance, weather forecasting and defense, companies are betting that orbital maintenance will evolve from a government-funded experiment into a major commercial industry.
The emerging business may ultimately extend beyond simply cleaning up space to building an entire maintenance and servicing ecosystem for the satellites on which the global economy increasingly depends.
Source: CNBC