With space becoming increasingly congested with debris and defunct end-of-mission satellites, Porto-based startup SPACEO found room for developing solutions to keep space clean and removing satellites after the end of their operational life.
Incubated at UPTEC Mar, SPACEO leads the international consortium that recently won the European Space Agency (ESA) contract to develop technology for collecting end-of-mission satellites and space debris.
The consortium will use the three million euros budget to implement SWIFT (Spacecraft With Inflatable Termination), a project that will test an inflatable drag sail in space by 2028, designed to swiftly deorbit its host satellite after its mission is complete. In an official statement, SPACEO said that this technology will be developed in order "to become the standard equipment on board all satellites to be launched in the future."
Incubated at UPTEC Mar, SPACEO leads the international consortium that recently won the European Space Agency (ESA) contract to develop technology for collecting end-of-mission satellites and space debris.
The consortium will use the three million euros budget to implement SWIFT (Spacecraft With Inflatable Termination), a project that will test an inflatable drag sail in space by 2028, designed to swiftly deorbit its host satellite after its mission is complete. In an official statement, SPACEO said that this technology will be developed in order "to become the standard equipment on board all satellites to be launched in the future."
