World-first mission puts UK expertise to work to help clean up space

New mission launched to help protect active satellites which underpin national security and everyday services

• First-of-its-kind national mission to clear up space junk orbiting earth which threatens key services from GPS to weather forecasts - keeping Brits safe and boosting growth. 
• Government backs new spacecraft with more than £60m to remove two defunct satellites from orbit by 2032. 
• Builds on UK strengths in the repair, refuelling and removal of satellites – predicted to grow into billion dollar industry.

Britain is taking on space junk with a world-first mission that will use giant robotic claws to grab dead satellites threatening the GPS, weather forecasts and communications we rely on every day. 

Hazardous old satellites and their remnants threaten the thousands of active satellites which underpin national security and everyday services. Hundreds of thousands of tracked debris objects - travelling at speeds exceeding 17,000 miles an hour - are large enough to damage vital space infrastructure, with swift action now needed to tackle the problem.  

The UK’s Active Debris Removal mission (UK ADR) is a world-first – being launched to remove two satellites and releasing them lower into our atmosphere where they will naturally burn up. The mission marks the first time a spacecraft has disposed of more than one satellite in this way.  

The refuellable spacecraft will be designed with future-use in mind, so that it can help make a difference and sweep space for years to come. 

The spacecraft will launch in 2029 from Saxavord Spaceport in Scotland, which recently received £30m Government funding to ensure the UK’s sovereign launch capability.  

A competition will also begin today to name the UK ADR spacecraft, welcoming submissions from the public. 

Space Minister Liz Lloyd said: 

"Space junk and debris pose an immense and growing challenge but with our homegrown expertise, the UK is determined to lead the global effort to clean up space. 

"By backing this world first mission, we will protect the satellites that underpin modern life from keeping us connected with loved ones and delivering accurate weather forecasts to keeping our country safe. 

"This is our Space Strategy in action: giving British firms the support and clear direction they need to turn bold ideas into cutting-edge innovation, strengthen our world-class satellite sector and drive economic growth across the country."

UK ADR is part of the nascent In-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) sector, predicted to grow into a billion-dollar industry within the next decade. Currently, satellites are single use. When they run out of fuel or suffer a fault, they are discarded. Developing the technology to repair, refuel and protect our orbital assets - and take advantage of the unique conditions in space to make useful products - is now a priority for the UK under the recently published Space Strategy.  

UK ADR develops key technologies which will support this, building on Britain’s strong early foothold in the market. Protecting the space environment is critical for the future of the UK’s flourishing space sector more broadly; worth £18.6 billion, and supporting over 55,000 skilled jobs.  

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is working with ClearSpace UK as its industry delivery partner, building domestic expertise in spacecraft servicing and robotic capture. It will strengthen British supply chains and investment from Southampton to Newcastle, and marks the first time a company has been asked to deliver a significant new national capability. 

ISAM was one of the 4 priority areas identified by the Government’s recently launched National Space Strategy, which combines UK’s plans for growth, defence, and national security to reindustrialise the country over the coming years. 

Dr Alice Bunn, Co-Director UK Space Agency, said: 

"This mission is about much more than removing debris. It is about developing the capabilities that will enable future servicing, assembly and manufacturing in orbit. 

"The technologies being developed through ADR will help establish the UK’s position at the forefront of a new generation of space services while supporting a sustainable future for activities in space."

Rob Atchison, Managing Director of ClearSpace UK, said:  

"UK ADR will be delivered here in the UK. Our team brings together engineers and specialists from across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as allies and partners, and as the programme progresses we will create more highly specialised roles in rendezvous and proximity operations, guidance, navigation and control, robotics, spacecraft systems and mission operations. 

"Our next step is to design, build and test a spacecraft that can get close, safely, to an object never designed to be caught, and take control of it. We will do that with partners across the UK supply chain, working towards operations in 2029."

From: Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, UK Space Agency and Baroness Lloyd of Effra CBE