The UK Space Agency has launched a new process to tackle the growing threat of space debris, initiating a £75.6 million tender for the country’s first mission to actively remove defunct satellites from orbit.
"This marks a pivotal step in the UK’s efforts to protect vital space infrastructure and ensure the long-term safety of the orbital environment," - the UK Space Agency stated.
At the heart of the proposed Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission, a specially designed spacecraft, equipped with cutting-edge British robotic and autonomous navigation technology, will capture and safely de-orbit two non-functioning UK-licensed satellites from low Earth orbit.
The spacecraft will guide the defunct satellites into Earth’s atmosphere, where they will burn up—eliminating potential threats to the satellite networks that power essential services such as GPS, weather forecasting, and emergency communications.
According to the agency, there are an estimated 140 million pieces of space debris smaller than 1cm, and over 54,000 tracked objects larger than 10cm currently orbiting Earth.
"Even tiny fragments can cause catastrophic damage to satellites. This mission is a critical step in addressing the threat of space debris, ensuring the long-term sustainability of space operations and protecting the infrastructure that underpins modern life," - it said in the statement.
The UK Space Agency is now seeking a single supplier to deliver the five-year research and development contract, with the mission targeted for launch by the end of 2028. This follows £11 million already invested since 2021 in feasibility studies and design work, underscoring the government’s long-term commitment to becoming a clean space superpower.
Denmark announced on Sunday that it was banning civilian drone flights after sightings of drones near several military facilities overnight, following...
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday called on his Labour Party to stop “navel gazing” and to unite against Reform UK, accusing the risin...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday there was “a real chance for greatness in the Middle East”, though he offered no concrete details or ti...
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has vowed a “significant improvement” in the security of government administrative systems after a major fire...
The Kremlin on Sunday dismissed warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russian officials should familiarise themselves with bomb s...
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday called on his Labour Party to stop “navel gazing” and to unite against Reform UK, accusing the rising populist party of pursuing a “racist policy” of mass deportation if it came to power.
At the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool, Housing Secretary Steve Reed is set to announce a plan to build 12 new towns across England.
On Friday evening, a man in his 50s has died and seven others were treated after a suspected carbon monoxide leak at a takeaway restaurant in Bloxwich, Walsall.
Britain will back Jaguar Land Rover with a £1.5 billion loan guarantee to shore up its supply chain after the luxury carmaker’s production was halted by a cyberattack. The guarantee, underpinned by UK Export Finance, aims to prevent supplier collapse.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
NASA officials on Tuesday said the agency's first crewed flight in its Artemis programme - a trip around the moon and back - is on track for launch in April and could potentially be moved up to February 2026.
In a discovery that pushes the limits of our cosmic imagination, astronomers have revealed a colossal bridge of gas and stars stretching between galaxies, accompanied by the longest tail ever observed, an intergalactic structure on a scale that rewrites what we know about the Universe.
The GLOBSEC Initiative on the Future of Cyberspace Cooperation has released a new research paper examining NATO’s potential use of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity.
A nationwide survey in Kazakhstan shows a split opinion on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, with 40.5% viewing it positively and 37.4% seeing it as a threat to learning quality, according to the Institute of Public Policy reported in The Astana Times.
Scientists and guests gathered at Boston University in Massachusetts on Thursday (18 September) for the 35th annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, which honours bizarre scientific discoveries.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment