BENGALURU: A model from the Swiss Space Centre exhibited at Bengaluru Space Expo shows what the project aims to achieve in Space what India is trying to achieve on the ground: Cleanliness.
As surprising as it sounds, the objective of ‘CleanSpace One’ is to remove orbital debris, that have caused losses in millions of dollars for the space industry.
According to Volker Gass, Director of Swiss Space Centre, though there were several international guidelines to deorbit defunct satellites or spacecrafts, there has been no strict regulation. Considering the losses suffered due to space debris, it is essential to develop tools to remove them, he said.
CleanSpace One is expected to be launched in 2018-19, and will attempt to deorbit SwissCube, which was launched in 2007. The ambitious project, will be a precursor to the Active Debris Removal programme. The objective, Gass said, was to ensure environmental ethics, both on earth and space.