Korea prepares real life space sweeper to hunt orbiting junk

Korea’s Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) completed a readiness review for the Active Debris Removal Satellite (ADR-SAT) in Daejeon on Tuesday, clearing the way for final assembly and a planned 2027 launch aboard the Nuri rocket. The KAIST-led mission will test capturing a decommissioned satellite and guiding it into Earth’s atmosphere to burn up. KASA Administrator Oh Tae-seog described it as a world-first attempt to validate this specific technique in orbit.

The five-year project runs through 2028 under the leadership of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

The target will be a decommissioned legacy national satellite, such as KITSAT-3.

ADR-SAT is designed to use robotic arms and gripping mechanisms to approach and capture its target, lower its altitude, and release it into the atmosphere.

KASA said developing autonomous capture and de-orbiting capabilities in-house is intended to help safeguard Korea’s growing portfolio of orbital assets.

Published Oct 27, 2026 1:11 pm KST

Updated Oct 27, 2026 1:50 pm KST

Homegrown spacecraft will use robotic arms to pull defunct satellites into fiery atmospheric reentry

An artist's rendering depicts the Active Debris Removal Satellite approaching space debris in Earth orbit. Courtesy of Korea AeroSpace Administration

Science fiction is quietly becoming an engineering reality in Korea.

Long a staple of science fiction and brought to life in the 2021 Korean blockbuster film "Space Sweepers," the concept of orbital sanitation vessels is becoming a reality as Korea’s space agency prepares a mission to clean up the increasingly crowded skies.

The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) announced a milestone step, Tuesday, in its effort to tackle orbital debris. Meeting at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology's (KAIST) Satellite Technology Research Center in Daejeon, officials completed the System Integration Readiness Review for the Active Debris Removal Satellite (ADR-SAT). Having cleared technical evaluations from an independent panel of experts, engineers will begin final assembly of the flight model next month, setting the stage for a launch aboard Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket in 2027.

The initiative comes at a critical juncture for low Earth orbit.

As commercial megaconstellations and national satellite programs proliferate, space junk — defunct satellites, spent rocket boosters and shattered shrapnel — has turned the void above Earth into a high-speed obstacle course. A single piece of debris traveling at several miles per second can destroy multimillion-dollar assets or imperil human spaceflight.

"This active control technology involves approaching debris moving at extreme speeds in orbit, capturing it, and forcing it into atmospheric re-entry where it burns up," KASA Administrator Oh Tae-seog said. "It represents a world-first attempt at orbital validation for this specific high-difficulty technique."

The five-year project, which runs through 2028 under the leadership of KAIST, will test a sophisticated rendezvous procedure. Once deployed into orbit in 2027 during the sixth launch of the Nuri rocket, ADR-SAT will undergo initial systems checks before extending robotic arms and gripping mechanisms.

The spacecraft will then execute precision maneuvers to track and approach its target — a decommissioned legacy national satellite, such as KITSAT-3. Upon closing the distance, the satellite's robotic arm will lock onto the target, drag it into a lower altitude, and release it into Earth's atmosphere, ensuring both objects burn up safely from friction heat during re-entry.

By developing autonomous capture and de-orbiting capabilities in-house, KASA said it aims to safeguard its expanding portfolio of orbital assets while positioning itself as a key player in sustainable space operations.

Assembly of the flight unit will commence next month at the KAIST facilities, marking Korea's formal entry into the global race to clean up Earth's final frontier.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

韩国航天局（KASA）周二在大田完成了主动式太空碎片清除卫星（ADR-SAT）的准备就绪审查，为最终组装和计划于2027年搭乘“努里”号火箭发射扫清了障碍。这项由韩国科学技术院（KAIST）牵头的任务将测试捕获一颗退役卫星并将其引导至地球大气层烧毁的技术。韩国航天局局长吴泰锡称，这是全球首次在轨道上验证这项特定技术。

该项目为期五年，将于 2028 年结束，由韩国科学技术院 (KAIST) 牵头开展。

目标是已退役的旧式国家卫星，例如 KITSAT-3。

ADR-SAT 的设计理念是利用机械臂和抓取机构接近并捕获目标，降低目标高度，然后将其释放到大气层中。

韩国航天局表示，自主研发捕获和脱离轨道能力旨在帮助保护韩国日益增长的轨道资产组合。

发布于2026年10月27日下午1:11（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月27日下午1:50（韩国标准时间）

国产航天器将利用机械臂将失效卫星拖入炽热的大气层重返大气层。

艺术家绘制的示意图描绘了主动碎片清除卫星接近地球轨道上的太空碎片的情景。图片由韩国航空航天管理局提供。

在韩国，科幻小说正在悄然变成工程现实。

轨道清洁船的概念一直是科幻小说中常见的题材，并在 2021 年韩国大片《太空清扫者》中得以展现。如今，随着韩国航天局准备执行清理日益拥挤的天空的任务，轨道清洁船的概念正在成为现实。

韩国航天局（KASA）周二宣布，其在解决轨道碎片问题方面取得了里程碑式的进展。在位于大田的韩国科学技术院（KAIST）卫星技术研究中心，官员们完成了主动碎片清除卫星（ADR-SAT）的系统集成准备就绪审查。该卫星已通过独立专家小组的技术评估，工程师们将于下个月开始飞行模型的最终组装，为2027年使用韩国自主研发的“努里”火箭发射升空做好准备。

这项计划出台之际，正值近地轨道发展的关键时刻。

随着商业巨型星座和国家卫星计划的激增，太空垃圾——废弃卫星、废旧火箭助推器和破碎的弹片——已将地球上空的虚空变成了高速障碍赛道。一块以每秒数英里速度飞行的碎片就可能摧毁价值数百万美元的资产，甚至危及载人航天飞行。

韩国航天局局长吴泰锡表示：“这项主动控制技术包括接近轨道上高速运动的碎片，将其捕获，并迫使其重返大气层烧毁。这是世界上首次对这项高难度技术进行轨道验证。”

这项为期五年、由韩国科学技术院（KAIST）牵头、持续到2028年的项目，将测试一套复杂的交会对接程序。ADR-SAT卫星将于2027年搭乘努里火箭第六次发射进入轨道，在展开机械臂和抓取机构之前，将进行初始系统检查。

随后，航天器将执行精确机动，跟踪并接近其目标——一颗已退役的旧式国家卫星，例如 KITSAT-3。接近目标后，卫星的机械臂将锁定目标，将其拖到较低的高度，然后将其释放到地球大气层中，确保两个物体在重返大气层时因摩擦生热而安全烧毁。

KASA表示，通过自主研发捕获和脱离轨道能力，该公司旨在保护其不断扩大的轨道资产组合，同时将自身定位为可持续太空行动的关键参与者。

飞行器的组装工作将于下个月在韩国科学技术院（KAIST）的设施内开始，这标志着韩国正式加入全球清理地球最后边疆的竞赛。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。