2026 set for major space debris cleanup mission.
Swiss startup ClearSpace plans to launch its "active debris removal mission" aboard an Arianespace Vega-C rocket in the first half of 2026. The mission, known as ClearSpace-1, aims to rendezvous, capture, and remove a piece of space debris left behind by a Vega rocket launch in 2013. The European Space Agency is funding the mission, which will demonstrate the spacecraft's technologies and quartet of robotic arms, opening the way for more challenging missions with multiple captures per flight.