Airbus Defence and Space will lead the TeSeR (Technology for Self-Removal of Spacecraft) team to develop technology to reduce the risk of spacecraft colliding with debris in space.

Together with ten European partners, the company will develop a prototype for a cost-efficient and highly reliable module to ensure that future spacecraft do not present a collision risk once they reach the end of their nominal operational lifetimes or suffer an in-service failure. The module will also be able to function as a removal back-up in the case of a loss of control over a spacecraft.

Airbus Defence and Space will act as the consortium coordinator and will be responsible for project management, technical coordination and the development of innovative attitude control systems.

Under Grant Agreement No 687295, part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the TeSeR study programme will receive EU funding of more than €2.8m and will run through 2018. Airbus Defence and Space will also be investing its own resources in the project.

Orbital space is becoming increasingly congested. Space debris threatens space-based infrastructures which are vital for life on Earth. Disused spacecraft are a potentially dangerous source of space debris.