COSMIC: a UK Active Debris Removal Mission

Abstract

In recent years, the escalation of space activities has led to an alarming surge in space debris within low Earth orbit (LEO). This paper addresses the pressing need for Active Debris Removal (ADR), a two-pronged strategy to stabilize space debris: maintaining shorter satellite lifetimes and actively removing defunct satellites. In 2022, the UK Space Agency issued funding to explore the launch of a 2026 mission to remove uncooperative debris in LEO. Astroscale’s COSMIC (Cleaning Outer Space Mission through Innovative Capture) mission has been conceived to meet this challenge. Leveraging Astroscale’s expertise and heritage from the ELSA-M mission, which is designed for magnetically capturing prepared clients, COSMIC advances the field of ADR by transitioning from magnetic capture to robotic capture, enabling the removal of unprepared and uncooperative debris. This paper explores the development of COSMIC and its mission to pioneer institutionally funded debris removal with robotic capture, representing a significant milestone in ADR and the broader realm of space exploration. Keywords: Active Debris Removal, In-orbit Servicing, Rendezvous Proximity Operations, Spacecraft Detumbling, Robotic Capture