Giant robotic claws will grab dead satellites in space
The UK has awarded ClearSpace UK about $81 million to develop a spacecraft that will remove dead satellites from orbit using robotic capture equipment. The project matters because growing amounts of orbital debris could collide with working spacecraft, and the mission aims to show that one vehicle can carry out repeated clean-ups.
The spacecraft is targeted for launch in 2029 from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, with an initial task of removing two defunct UK-registered satellites by 2032. It is designed to secure each satellite, lower its orbit and release it so atmospheric drag brings it back into the atmosphere to burn up; the cleanup craft may be refuelled and reused. The European Space Agency reported about 47,140 regularly tracked objects in orbit as of 14 October 2026, including active satellites, inactive spacecraft, rocket bodies and debris.
In short
- The UK is funding an $81 million satellite-clean-up mission.
- ClearSpace UK plans to capture and dispose of two defunct satellites.
- The spacecraft is designed for reuse after its 2029 launch.
Explained simply
Satellites that have stopped working can remain in orbit alongside spacecraft still in use. They join other objects, including discarded rocket parts, which can collide with working satellites and add to the debris circling Earth.
ClearSpace UK is a company developing spacecraft to remove objects from orbit, with funding from the UK government. Its planned vehicle would capture defunct satellites and lower their orbits so they re-enter the atmosphere and burn up. The project is designed to test whether one craft can remove more than one satellite, potentially after being refuelled.
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