Enabling & Support
17/11/2025
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ESA’s Zero Debris Approach aims to have ‘net zero pollution’ for objects in space by 2030. The recent CleanCube campaign, funded by the Preparation element of ESA’s Basic Activities, resulted in six pre-Phase A mission studies that address the technical challenges of Zero Debris CubeSats.
CubeSats are increasingly used for both commercial and institutional purposes, but they pose a challenge for the Zero Debris charter. To date, CubeSats have relied on low altitude orbits and passive deorbiting to naturally comply with orbital clearance rules. As limits to orbital lifetime evolve, active deorbiting of CubeSats with a demonstrated success rate above the required 90% will be crucial. Other key aspects include reliable and permanent passivation after end of life, improved health monitoring, and collision avoidance capabilities for CubeSats. A new topic under investigation is the assessing visual brightness to reducing impacts on radio astronomy – a growing concern for the scientific community.
To protect key orbital areas, new technologies that ensure CubeSats comply with ESA’s Zero Debris requirements are needed. “We are looking for innovative solutions to close the gap in assuring the 2030 zero-debris goal can be achieved for Cubesats,” says Sibyl-Anna de Courson, Space Debris Mitigation & Re-Entry Engineer and Campaign Manager for this challenge.
The ‘CleanCube: Zero Debris for CubeSat platforms SysNova Campaign‘ challenge was run through the Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP). It tackled technical issues to facilitate the transition towards Zero Debris goals for CubeSat missions. Six teams conducted four-month pre-Phase A concept studies that addressed reliable disposal at end-of-life, passivation, systems resilience and monitoring, collision risk reduction and preservation of dark and quiet skies.
On 16 June, the teams came together at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands to present their ideas to ESA and each other. Throughout the day, teams asked questions, shared ideas, and built connections for future collaborations. “It was impressive to see what the teams were able to achieve in only 4 months, and the variety of solutions explored,” de Courson says. “From platform concepts enabling fail safe deorbiting at end of life, to technologies for increased trackability from ground and autonomous collision avoidance, the teams were able together to tackle all aspects of Zero Debris.”
Meet the teams
The SHIELD satellite, proposed by AIKO SRL, leverages on-board artificial intelligence (AI) to improve system autonomy and health monitoring, and to enable in-orbit debris collision risk assessment and computation of corrective manoeuvres. The satellite is also equipped with an innovative debris detector developed at the University of Turin, enhancing space surveillance and tracking with space-based data.
Aurora Propulsion Technologies focused on reliable deorbiting with Charon, a fully independent deorbiting system. The system features a Plasma Brake developed by Auora, which is an electrostatic tether that uses ionospheric plasma to create a Coulomb drag force. Powered by independent solar panels, the system can function even if the satellite is dead-on-arrival, and includes a ‘watchdog’ that will automatically deploy Charon if it does not receive a signal confirming the satellite is alive.
The SpaceKeepers mission was proposed by GMV Aerospace and Defence. It aims to mitigate satellite brightness by testing shape and element distribution as well as satellite attitude, test the ATHENA electric propulsion for reliable CubeSat disposal and improve location of space objects using a conventional star tracker or a Space Locator Beacon. The Space Locator Beacon, which is still under development, is unique in its ability to function during all phases of the mission and has the added benefit of being dark and quiet skies friendly.
ION-X focused on autonomous collision avoidance with low thrust manoeuvres. The proposed mission includes a dedicated on-board computer for AI processing, coupled with an ION-X HALO-100X electrical thruster that uses an inert, non-toxic, non-pressurised propellant that does not produce an infrared signature. The thruster enables low-thrust collision avoidance manoeuvres and controlled deorbit.
TidyCube, proposed by ISISPACE Group, aims to demonstrate collision avoidance, passivation, and end-of-life disposal for a CubeSat that will meet stricter space debris mitigation requirements. ISISpace worked with Neuraspace in their consortium to improve collision risk assessments and investigate methods for early identification from ground. Their satellite will test the use of a thruster for collision avoidance. The team also aims to test deorbiting using both a drag sail device and a tether that would be triggered autonomously to demonstrate fail-safe deployment in case of spacecraft failure, and prolonged loss of communication. Their goal is to develop solutions that will work for CubeSats of all kinds, from commercial to university projects.
Stellar Space Industries was the only team focused on developing a mission for Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). Using their airbreathing electric propulsion (ABEP) system, they aim to demonstrate the usefulness of VLEO for high-performance payloads while benefitting from the natural and reliable end-of-life offered by this orbit. The ABEP system ensures an extended lifetime for the satellite in VLEO, with the main challenge being the integration of this relatively large system into a CubeSat.
What comes next?
The ideas developed during the CleanCube campaign offer tangible solutions to address the technical challenges of Zero Debris CubeSats.
Building on the success of this campaign, ESA Clean Space issued an open competition in July 2025 for an In Orbit Demonstration (IOD) Phase A study for a Zero Debris CubeSat mission. The IOD mission will be partially funded by ESA and is planned for 2028.
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