'Space Sweepers' Comes to Life... Assembly Begins on South Korea's First Space Debris-Cleaning Satellite

On Board Nuri's Sixth Launch in 2027... Demonstrating Technology to Capture and Remove Defunct Satellites
Tracking High-Speed Space Objects for Atmospheric Reentry... Ready to Begin Final Assembly

A domestically developed satellite that will collect space debris directly, like in the film "Space Sweepers," is being built. The goal is to verify in space the technology for tracking and capturing satellites that have completed their missions, then pulling them into the atmosphere to burn up. It is scheduled to travel into space aboard the sixth launch of the Nuri launch vehicle in 2027.

The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) said on October 26 that it had held a System Integration Readiness Review for the Active Debris Removal Satellite (ADR-SAT) at the Satellite Research Center of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and had assessed its readiness for full-scale satellite assembly.

The Active Debris Removal Satellite is being developed to verify technology for approaching, capturing, and removing satellites that have completed their missions and been left in Earth's orbit by causing them to reenter the atmosphere. As satellite launches increase, defunct satellites and launch vehicle debris are accumulating in orbit, raising the risk of collisions with operational satellites.

The review assessed whether the satellite's components and subsystems met the requirements for assembly and whether any technical risks could arise during integration. A review involving outside experts from industry, academia, and research institutions concluded that the conditions for beginning system integration had been met.

Key missions of an active-control satellite. Courtesy of the Korea Aerospace Administration.

Accordingly, KAIST's Satellite Research Center will begin assembling the flight model (FM), which will be launched into space, in November. The completed satellite is set to be carried aboard the sixth launch of the Nuri launch vehicle in 2027 and will undertake South Korea's first space debris removal mission.

The key challenge is safely approaching and capturing space objects orbiting Earth at high speeds. The satellite must precisely control its position and velocity relative to the target, and then carry out the removal process by making the target reenter the atmosphere.

However, passing this review means only that the satellite is ready for assembly. Whether it can capture and remove a target in space must be confirmed through an in-orbit demonstration after launch.

"This is a highly challenging satellite technology that involves approaching space debris moving at high speed in orbit, capturing it, and then causing it to reenter the atmosphere and burn up," said Tae seog Oh, head of the Korea Aerospace Administration. "We will strengthen our ability to respond to space hazards by developing the core technology ourselves to remove space debris that threatens the safety of our satellites."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.