Swiss-based in-orbit servicing startup ClearSpace has contracted Arianespace to launch its first debris removal mission to capture and deorbit a piece of space debris.
The mission was the second Falcon 9 launch of the day for SpaceX. Liftoff occurred at 1:21 a.m. PDT (4:21 a.m. EDT, 0821 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket disintegrated shortly after launch from Cape Canaveral on Sunday, dealing a blow to the entrepreneurial space company and NASA’s supply chain to the International Space Station.