Scientists from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) are taking part in the creation of a huge gripper that will remove debris such as satellites and rocket parts from space. The device is designed by the Swiss start-up Clear Space on behalf of the European Space Agency.

The assumption is simple: the gripper placed on the satellite is to catch the selected space debris, then bring it to a low orbit and burn an unused satellite or part of a rocket in the Earth’s atmosphere – explains Jędrzej Baran, project manager at CBK PAN.

The catcher will consist of four three-meter-long arms. Each of the arms has three joints, which enables efficient manoeuvring and gives a greater possibility of catching an object rushing in the orbit. The grapple will be mounted on a 120-kilogram satellite. The first cosmic tests will involve the capture of the Vespa rocket hatch adapter, which has been orbiting the Earth since 2013. They are scheduled for 2025.