Britain to debut robotic spacecraft that will capture and deorbit defunct satellites
The UK will launch a £60 million robotic spacecraft from Scotland in 2029 to seize two dead satellites and drag them into the atmosphere for disposal.
Britain’s space programme is set to test a world-first debris-removal spacecraft, scheduled for launch from Saxavord Spaceport in Scotland in 2029. Built under the £60 million UK ADR project, the vehicle will employ giant robotic claws to capture two obsolete satellites and lower them into a trajectory that ensures they disintegrate in the atmosphere by 2032. The effort aims to protect the thousands of active satellites that underpin navigation, weather forecasting and communications.
The initiative aligns with the UK’s Space Strategy, which seeks to develop in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing capabilities and grow a billion-dollar industry. The mission is being delivered by the UK Space Agency in partnership with ClearSpace UK, and a naming competition for the spacecraft has been launched today.
