PARIS — Europe’s attempt to kickstart a commercial space debris-removal service has secured go-ahead funding of 67.5 million euros ($74.3 million) from seven governments led by Switzerland, with a 37% share.
Given the amount of money raised and the size of the Swiss commitment, a consortium led by Swiss startup ClearSpace will develop a spacecraft to grapple a 100-kilogram Vega rocket payload adaptor and deorbit it. The mission is scheduled for 2025.
European Space Agency (ESA) governments approved about 412 . . .
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