According to the Market Statsville Group (MSG), the Global Active Space Debris Removal Market Size is anticipated to reach USD 463.51 Million by 2030 from USD 26.70 Million in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 24.3% during the forecast period (2022-2030).
Outer space has nearly 7,600 tons of manufactured human junk orbiting the Earth, posing a great threat to the active satellites revolving around the planet. This threat is going to increase exponentially in the future. Hence, developing such technologies has become an important goal for the key players. The major key players in the active space debris removal market include Astroscale, Tethers Unlimited Inc., Altius Space, D-Orbit, ClearSpace, and Surrey Satellite Technologies Limited. These companies are designing and developing technologies to help mitigate the numbers of debris in space. Most of the key players are start-ups that are backed by international space agencies when it comes to funding and contracts. For instance, Astroscale was selected by the Japanese space agency for demonstrating an active debris removal solution. The satellite servicing missions are often confused as a solution to deal with the debris but increasing the life of the satellite or spacecraft is just a temporary solution.
Market Definition
The space industry has seen major technological advancements since the Russians launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik. The space industry has seen enormous growth in the past few decades owing to the sophisticated and robust systems that have undergone continuous enhancements. The satellites launched for various services such as navigation, telecommunication, climate, and environmental monitoring have become so advanced that it has become very difficult to imagine our day-to-day lives without information and data from the satellites. So, the need to protect these space assets has become very important for the countries that depend not only on satellites for commercial and domestic services but also for defense and safety operations.
With increased capabilities and growing dependence on satellites for civil and military uses, their vulnerability to natural and human-made threats has become apparent. The natural threats include meteoroids and other harmful radiations, and the human-made threats include anti-satellite missiles, orbital debris, and others. Since space agencies cannot control the natural threats with the available technology, the companies are focusing on developing active space debris removal systems.
Recent studies have shown that there are a minimum of 40,000 medium-large objects in space, equivalent to more than 7,600 tons of space junk revolving around the Earth in various orbits. These debris particles and dead satellites become potential threats to the active and operating satellites and must be removed gradually over time. With new satellites being launched yearly, the number of useful slots for the next generation is getting lower. Thus, the companies are currently focusing on developing technologies to remove the defunct satellites that are easy to capture and deorbit.
Due to the Anti Satellite (A-SAT) test conducted by China in 2007, the number of small debris particles that are hard to detect and track increased. These small particles are dangerous as it is very difficult to predict their path and can damage the spacecraft significantly, either causing complete system failure or damaging a sub-system that would render the operational capabilities of the satellite.
Mega constellations are a group of networked satellites that usually orbit the Earth at altitudes lower than 2000 kilometers. The mega-constellations are used for various purposes, such as navigation, telecommunication, and remote sensing. With hundreds to thousands of satellites planned to launch for global telecommunications solutions, the indirect and direct impacts of the space debris and defunct satellites on the mega-constellations will provide a huge opportunity for companies to develop active space debris removal technology.
Companies like OneWeb, Amazon, and SpaceX have already started working on their satellite mega-constellations programs to provide global solutions. All the satellites in the mega-constellation revolve around the Earth in the same orbit, and the direct collision with debris particles would exponentially increase the numbers of debris. If any large debris particle interferes with the data transfer between the satellite and ground station, it will decrease the efficiency of the total system due to signal loss. With the increasing number of dead satellites in the orbits, the scope for new satellites to use the orbit would decrease significantly. After the end of their beneficial life, the dead satellites have to be replaced regularly for continuous operations in the mega-constellation. Hence the mega-constellation programs would be a huge opportunity for the companies to generate revenue.
This research report categorizes the active space debris removal market based on debris size, orbit type, product, mode of operation, level of autonomy, and regions. On the basis of a geographical standpoint, the market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA).
By Orbit Type (Sales, USD Million, 2017-2030)
By Product (Sales, USD Million, 2017-2030)
By Mode of Operation (Sales, USD Million, 2017-2030)
By Level of Autonomy (Sales, USD Million, 2017-2030)
The Low Earth Orbit is a highly densely packed orbit with small debris. Thus, the market share for removing the particles and dead satellites from this orbit is huge; next comes the Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit, and at last is the Middle Earth Orbit. Each orbit helps provide services, and the number of satellites launched into those orbits has a significant role. The cost associated with removing the debris article is low for the low earth orbit satellites and increases as they go higher. The RemoveDEBRIS mission demonstrated the debris removal mission by capturing and removing debris particles from the low earth orbit in 2018.
The companies are presently focusing on removing the debris particles from the low earth orbit (LEO). Hence, the revenue generated from this orbit has dominated the entire market in 2019 and is expected to be the same in 2030.
North America is expected to dominate the market share of the active space debris removal market
Having the greatest number of satellites from the region, especially from the U.S., the Space Liability Convention clearly states that the USA responsible for the launch of the satellite will be held responsible for any damage caused by the space component. As of 2021, the United States Space Surveillance Network was tracking more than 15,000 pieces of space debris larger than 100 mm across orbit. It is projected that there are about 2 million pieces between 10 and 100 mm across and that there could be millions of debris pieces smaller than 10 mm. The factors include the increasing regulations from various international space agencies, such as the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee, and national space agencies, such as the Federal Communication Commission of the U.S., which have been making recommendations and regulations for the satellite manufacturers to make sure that they won’t increase the existing debris problem. The North American region will likely hold the major market share during the forecast period.
The global active space debris removal market is highly competitive, with key industry players adopting new product development, partnerships, acquisitions, agreements, and expansion to strengthen their market positions. Most market industries focus on expanding operations across regions, augmenting their capabilities, and building strong partner relations.
Major Players Profiled in the Market:
Key Market Developments
The report offers a detailed analysis of the market, covering the key trends, innovations, and future growth opportunities in the active space debris removal market. The study further analyzes the market by considering several factors, such as PESTEL analysis, Ecosystem/ Value Chain Analysis, Porter’s Five Forces Analysis, pricing analysis, import/export market trends, new revenue pockets, and pain point analysis, among others. Additionally, the report includes an exhaustive study of the industry segmentation, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on each segment. A complete regional/country-based study of the respective industry is concluded in the report, entailing the leading and fastest-growing area or country in the corresponding markets. In addition to the aforementioned factors, the report encompasses a thorough analysis of the major competitors in the market with the key strategies/tactics they adopted to strengthen their position in the global market.
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