In January, a piece of rocket debris fell to Earth, landing in a remote village in Kenya. The debris is believed to come from an Ariene rocket launched 16 years ago, and as the Space economy grows, these incidents could become more common.
Earth’s orbit is quickly becoming crowded. The number of active satellites in orbit has grown from 997 to over 9,000 in the last 25 years – tripling since 2020 alone. By 2028, that number could reach a staggering 60,000.
Thousands of those belong to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Ever since it became the first privately owned company to enter the race in 2008, the frequency of launches has dialed up. "SpaceX has shown that what was once considered impossible is possible.” says Luc Piguet, founder of ClearSpace.”By bringing down costs by 10-20x, they've brought breakthrough space technology 10-15 years forward."
An accelerating disruptor
While this progress has brought undeniable benefits such as greater connectivity and the ability to monitor climate change, the surge has created a pressing challenge: space debris. Inactive satellites, discarded rockets, and collision fragments now number over 36,500 large objects, with millions of smaller pieces orbiting Earth. And they’re quickly multiplying."Space debris is an accelerating disruptor." Luc says. "A piece of debris today can cause a problem in 20 years, due to how long they survive and the speed in which they travel."
Adding to this, debris causes collisions, leading to more fragments, and more collisions. This chain event, called the Kessler Syndrome, is already happening at some altitudes. Left unchecked, Earth’s orbit could become completely unusable.
In just November last year, the International Space Station (ISS) had to shift its orbit to avoid colliding with a piece of debris from a broken meteorological satellite from 2015. "The evolution of space debris isn't linear, it's exponential." Luc continues. "That’s what makes it so urgent to address".
A global problem
So what can be done about it? According to Luc, it requires a combination of international policy and meaningful action. The European Space Agency (ESA) is driving the former with the 'Zero Debris Charter' - a commitment to achieve debris neutrality in space by 2030. Over 12 nations and 100 organisations have already pledged their support. While the US isn’t one of them, the FCC has reduced the timeline for deorbiting defunct satellites from 25 years to just 5 - and not just on paper. In October 2023 the FCC issued its first $150,000 fine to television company Dish Network for failing to de-orbiting an old satellite.
Holding players accountable is difficult but in nations’ best interests. Under the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, countries are held liable for their national space activities, including those conducted by private entities. Given that a failed satellite could cause problems hundreds of years from now – long after the responsible company might have ceased to exist – it's not surprising that nations are motivated to act.
A mission of a lifetime
In addition to driving policy, the ESA is investing in the capabilities needed to drive sustainability in space, including ClearSpace. The company strives to be the first to remove debris and service satellites in Orbit. While the winds shift in ClearSpace's favour, the path to success is far from linear. "Building a space startup is one of the hardest things you can set out to do,” Luc says. "But at the end of the day, it comes down to the question: With my limited time on Earth, what would I like to spend my life on? It has been one of the most challenging periods in my career, but also incredibly rewarding.”
One of those challenges is capital. Building a space startup is a costly venture, and ClearSpace can't afford to get it wrong. "It's relatively easy to get a satellite to orbit, but launching a spacecraft with robotics, a complex navigation system, and maneuvering onboard, is substantially harder," Luc says. "For private companies, having funds with no strings attached gives huge flexibility since it allows them to develop, test, and validate technology.” That is exactly what allowed SpaceX to move fast, but ClearSpace doesn't have that luxury. Public funding makes up a big slice of their latest €26.7M Series A round, in which venture investors such as Swisscom and Lakestar participated. This means cautious investors, and the need to show that money isn’t being thrown down the drain.
"Europe must recognise its potential in this area. We have the engineering expertise to achieve extraordinary feats, but at times we fall short in ambition. Rather than solely learning from the past, we should envision and shape the future." Luc continues.
The moon, Mars, and beyond
So what does the future hold? Luc sees a world where missions to the moon, Mars, and outer space will be routine. Commercial space travel could become a reality, brought to life through SpaceX’s Starship."Musk isn't building a rocket, he's building a plane. When, not if, this becomes a success, it will dramatically change our relationship with space."
When asked if we should leave space at peace, Luc firmly says no. "Space exploration brings huge benefits to life on Earth. The question is: how do we push technological progress while respecting the environment? If you drive change, but it isn’t sustainable, then you’re just creating a problem down the road.”
If his predictions are right, we need to act fast to prevent a future disaster. In Luc’s words: "The time is now. Today is the day to actually do it."
Karin Killander covers the intersection between technology and climate change. She's a brand-builder who's s worked in tech for over a decade, both in VC and for venture-backed startups. She currently works for Net Zero Insights and runs B2B content studio Momentum.
