Space junk is emerging as a new expense variable for the space industry. As the number of broken or expired satellites, rocket debris, and collision fragments increases, the risk that operational satellites could collide and be damaged is growing. Even small fragments moving at extreme speeds can inflict fatal damage on satellites.
Luc Piguet, CEO of ClearSpace, who visited Korea to attend the "Swiss Space Industry Day" seminar held as part of the Korea-Switzerland Innovation Week, said in an interview with ChosunBiz at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 11th, "Space junk is a side effect of a space industry that lacked maintenance infrastructure."
He added, "Cars, aircraft, and ships have maintenance and service systems, but the space industry had no such infrastructure," and emphasized, "For the space industry to grow, maintenance and service must be possible in orbit as well."
ClearSpace is a Swiss space corporations developing on-orbit services, including space junk removal technology. It is a spinoff that started in 2018 at EPFL, and is carrying out the world's first active space junk removal mission, "ClearSpace-1," commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA). In 2023, it attracted a series A investment of €26.7 million (about 47.1 billion won).
◇ Space junk at 28,000 kph becomes a satellite industry expense risk
Piguet cited the growing reliance on space infrastructure as the reason space junk has drawn attention recently. "Every year, humanity relies more on space infrastructure, and the number of satellites in orbit is increasing rapidly," he said. "At the same time, the space junk problem is accelerating." As many industries—communications, Earth observation, weather, and security—rely on satellites, a deteriorating orbital environment translates into an economic risk, he explained.
But removing space junk is not technically easy. Low Earth orbit satellites or fragments travel at about 28,000 kph. Moreover, space junk cannot control its attitude or communicate with approaching satellites. In the space sector, such objects are called "non-cooperative objects."
Piguet said, "When docking with the International Space Station (ISS) or an operational satellite, both sides can control their attitude and communicate. It is similar to coupling trains on rails," and added, "By contrast, grabbing space junk is like trying to catch a spinning car on a highway."
ClearSpace is developing a method in which a service satellite approaches a target and captures the space junk by enveloping it with four robotic arms. First, the service satellite matches the target's orbit and speed and analyzes how much the target is rotating or wobbling. It then extends its arms from a safe distance to seize the object and reenters the atmosphere with the captured target. Upon atmospheric entry, most of the service satellite and the space junk burn up due to frictional heat.
ClearSpace-1 is the first stage to validate this technology. The mission aims to remove ESA's small satellite "PROBA-1" from orbit. PROBA-1 is a 95-kilogram satellite launched in 2001, and ClearSpace plans to demonstrate technology that approaches and captures PROBA-1 and then guides it into the atmosphere for disposal. Piguet put the mission's expense at about €120 million (about 211.5 billion won).
Piguet said, "Everyone benefits when we improve the space environment, but the space junk domain is similar to a public good where no one wants to pay for upkeep first," adding, "Someone had to take the first step, and ESA did that."
However, he said that in the long run the market should shift so that private satellite operators pay the expense. "For the first mission, a lot of nonrecurring engineering expense goes into capture system development, space environment validation, and standards setting," Piguet said. "As we repeat-apply the same technology and launch costs fall, service unit prices will also come down and demand will grow."
◇ After space junk comes satellite asset management… "Cooperation with Korean robotics and launch vehicles"
The market ClearSpace envisions after space junk removal is satellite asset management. Satellite asset management is a service that safely deorbits satellites whose missions have ended, repairs malfunctioning satellites, and extends their lifespans when necessary.
"A large satellite is an asset that costs $400 million to $500 million (about 610 billion to 762.7 billion won)," Piguet said. "If an outside firm deorbits or manages satellites on behalf of operators, the operators' expense structure could also become more efficient."
Satellite repair is also an area with significant potential. "There are cases where a $700 million (about 1.069 trillion won) satellite fails because one antenna does not fully deploy," Piguet said. "If we can intervene and repair in orbit, we can reduce massive insurance losses and mission failures."
He said, "If we reuse designs without redesigning from scratch, we can lower the expense, and the launch expense needed for repairs has fallen sharply over the past 15 to 20 years and will drop further as next-generation launch vehicles arrive," adding, "In the long run, a market will form in which satellite operators naturally incorporate life extension, deorbiting, and repair services into their expense structures."
Piguet said, "ClearSpace's ultimate goal is to become the service provider that is naturally chosen when satellite life extension is needed or when in-orbit repairs are required," adding, "In the long term, we want to provide robot-based services beyond Earth orbit, including the moon and Mars, in deep-space environments."
During this trip, he is scheduled to meet with domestic corporations, research institutes, and university officials. "Korea's strengths are launch vehicles, robotic systems, industrial components, and ground station and operations capabilities," Piguet said. "Just as Apple designs the iPhone but builds the product with a global supply chain including Samsung, Sony, and TSMC, we want to collaborate on on-orbit services with specialized corporations in each field, including Korea," he added.