Low Earth orbit is now facing serious challenges due to the accumulation of thousands of tons of space debris. NASA data records more than 100 million fragments, including objects as small as paint flecks traveling at extreme speeds of up to 27,000 km/h. This threat not only endangers active satellites but has also become a crucial issue as the frequency of object launches into space has surged in the last decade.
Seeing this urgency, the private sector has begun shifting its focus to developing orbital cleanup technologies. This move is driven by a new policy from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requiring satellite operators to remove inactive devices within five years of the end of their operational life, starting in 2027. This policy is projected to open up a commercial market with an economic value reaching USD 8 billion or equivalent to IDR 144 trillion.
Various technical innovations have emerged to handle this space waste. Cosmoserve Space, for example, is developing a flexible robotic arm that works like a carnivorous plant mechanism to grab debris. Meanwhile, the company KMI has successfully tested an object capture system on the International Space Station (ISS) without requiring special adapters. Other methods under development include the use of giant nets to gas-spray-based braking systems to drag debris down into the atmosphere.
More than just a cleanup effort, industry players see this technology as the foundation of future logistics. Adam Kall, co-founder of KMI, emphasized that the ability to move objects in orbit can be optimized for space construction and active satellite management needs. By mastering this technology, companies have the opportunity to lead the space economic ecosystem, which includes material distribution to the assembly of building structures in orbit.
