Technology to remove satellites from space - and prevent the further build-up of man-made space debris - is currently being investigated by a team of researchers at Strathclyde University. The team has been awarded some €116,700 of EU funding as part of the two-year TeSeR (Technology for Self-Removal of Spacecraft) programme that is being led by Airbus Defence and Space. According to NASA, over 500,000 pieces of space debris - made up of items including non-functioning spacecraft and abandoned launch vehicle stages - are currently being tracked as they orbit Earth at speeds of up to 17,500mph. With a total of €2.8m in funding from the Horizon 2020 programme, TeSeR will carry out initial research for the development of a prototype of a cost-efficient but highly reliable removal module.
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