ClearSpace: Pioneering Europe’s Space Debris Removal and Strategic Autonomy
ClearSpace is quietly making space history from its headquarters in Switzerland. This young company has been tasked with a groundbreaking mission: in 2026, its ClearSpace-1 spacecraft will rendezvous with a derelict object in orbit, capture it with a quartet of robotic arms, and drag it down to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. It will be the world’s first attempt to remove a piece of dangerous space debris by a commercial startup – a mission commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA) to kick-start a new “space cleanup” industry. The target is an abandoned payload adapter drifting 660 km above Earth, a vestige of a 2013 European rocket launch. At orbital speeds, even a small scrap of metal can hit with explosive force, so removing this junk isn’t just about tidiness – it’s about protecting the satellites that power our modern life. ClearSpace’s ambitious project has implications far beyond debris removal. It signals Europe’s determination to develop independent space technology and reduce reliance on non-allied suppliers. By investing in a homegrown solution to an orbital threat, Europe is also cultivating skills that could bolster its strategic autonomy in space. ClearSpace’s story – from an EPFL lab in Lausanne to leading a €100 million ESA mission – offers a compelling glimpse into how a startup can become a critical player in Europe’s defense-tech landscape.