UK spends £61 million to fish two dead satellites out of orbit

The UK Space Agency has awarded ClearSpace UK a £61 million contract to remove two defunct UK-registered satellites from low-Earth orbit by 2029. The spacecraft must autonomously rendezvous with non-cooperative targets, grapple them robotically and lower them into a reentry orbit, with a reusable commercial servicing service as the long-term goal.

• £61 million contract covers two satellites, operations targeted for 2029
• Targets no longer respond to commands and have no docking ports
• ESA estimates over 1.2 million debris objects larger than 1 cm in orbit
• Launch reportedly planned from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland