May 2019
Active debris removal faces legal minefield
... the most cost-effective and efficient method of debris mitigation is Active Debris Removal (ADR) Items 6 and 7 of the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines encourage states to take the necessary measures to remove objects from low Earth orbit (LEO) and...
January 2023
Clearing space junk from orbit
... about. They are leading the way to the commercial services that will be able to address our future active debris removal needs. About the author Romain Buchs is a Space Policy Analyst at ClearSpace where he coordinates strategic policy initiatives...
September 2020
Tackling space debris - a global priority
... structure that increases the overall drag on the spacecraft, expediting the gradual decay of spacecraft orbit. For active debris removal (ADR) methods, on the other hand, the spacecraft nearing its end of mission utilises onboard thruster...
September 2018
Debris or not debris - is that the question?
... its target object, even in the case of a ‘puff of talc’, whether we are faced with ‘active debris removal’ or with a ‘space weapon’ - active debris removal, or not? In light of the potential for grave conflict or instigating an arms race, we should...
12 March 2018
Satellite-servicing space drones set for launch in 2020
..., the drones could be used for additional tasks such as supporting low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations and active-debris-removal (ADR) missions. The diminutive craft’s longer term uses could also include support for asteroid-mining...
February 2018
Are we asking the right questions about space debris?
... of Geophysical Research, Vol. 83, No. A6, 1978. 2 Liou, J.-C., Johnson, N.L. “A sensitivity study of the effectiveness of active debris removal in LEO”. Acta Astronautica 64, 236-243, 2009a. 3 McKnight, D., Di Pentino, F., and Knowles, S., “Massive...
