Introduction to Space Debris Removal
Securing a conversation with Leonidas Askianakis requires foresight. His schedule is divided into 30-minute slots from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. The meetings take place exclusively online and all revolve around space. Despite the long hours, his calendar is booked weeks in advance. When does he sleep? The 22-year-old student at the Technical University of Munich in Germany shrugged when confronted with the question, saying he was "in the home stretch" and just couldn’t "give up" on the project.
The Problem of Space Debris
Even at night, the mission weighs on him, he said, and he often lies awake flipping through updates from a Chinese space mission that has found more debris and increasing risk. In early November, a Chinese crew had to extend their stay in orbit because their return capsule may have collided with fragments. Space junk, says Askianakis, has become something of a calling. Thousands of tons of debris are now orbiting the Earth – decommissioned satellites, spent rocket stages and countless shards. The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that there are more than 1.2 million objects in orbit larger than one centimeter, including more than 50,000 larger than 10 centimeters.
The Dangers of Space Debris
“Between 700 and 800 kilometers we see huge clouds of debris that persist for centuries and can multiply through collisions," Jan Siminski from ESA’s Space Debris team in Darmstadt told. A one-centimeter fragment is enough to destroy a satellite because “a collision releases the energy of a hand grenade.” Global monitoring systems track most of the debris around the clock, but most of the debris remains invisible. “With our ground-based radar, we can typically detect objects the size of a tennis ball,” Siminski said. “We can’t detect anything smaller, so there is always a residual risk.”
The Need for a Commercial Recovery Plan
This risk has been on Askianakis’s mind since his first semester of aerospace engineering. “How can debris stay in orbit for 200 years and no one does anything?” he asked himself after a lecture. He searched for allies on campus and in workshops, mostly without success. “In 2021, hardly anyone associated trash with space,” he recalled. It wasn’t until the semester break in Crete that the idea of commercially removing space debris crystallized. An encouraging conversation with Airbus managers at the IAA mobility trade fair in Munich accelerated the decision to found a startup company.
Project S Startup
Project-S plans to use satellites equipped with highly sensitive radar and proprietary algorithms to detect fragments between one and ten centimeters. They would enable continuous and comprehensive orbit monitoring for the first time. Later, robot cleaning probes will be used to remove larger parts. Shortly after the Project S startup was founded, a new EU space law came into force requiring satellite operators to dispose of their debris, giving Askianakis’ project a timely boost.
Bavaria’s State-Sponsored Ambitions
However, space startups require much more than just personal passion. Who would invest in a debris removal business run by someone still in their early twenties? “We would,” says Bavarian Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger. Bavaria has invested more than 245 million euros in various space projects, including a planned lunar operations center and several highly innovative startups. Askianakis received one million euros in co-financing from the state and says his California investors were shocked to learn that Bavaria had provided the financing without any equity involvement.
From Punchlines to Spatial Power
The Bavarian space industry is also turning its attention to Berlin, where the federal government has announced 35 billion euros in upcoming space and defense investments. Aiwanger calls it a good start, but not enough. The state will continue to move forward on its own, he said, “because we are aware of both the potential and the responsibility.” A few years ago, the idea of turning Bavaria into a space center, building satellites, training astronauts or even launching a mission to the moon might have caused a laugh. But today Bavaria’s space boom is no longer science fiction, but rather an economic strategy. The region now has more than 10,000 highly skilled jobs and has secured €2.9 billion in ESA contracts – almost 40% of total German ESA funding since 2015.
