In talks with Musk’s firm over space junk issue: Europe agency

The European Space Agency is in talks with SpaceX about the possibility of Elon Musk’s space venture joining an international charter designed to reduce a growing swarm of debris in space, Director General Josef Aschbacher said.

The 22-nation agency is spearheading one of several efforts to roll back the mass of space junk swirling round the planet from past missions that poses a risk to active satellites.

Aschbacher said 110 countries or entities have joined ESA’s Zero Debris charter.

Asked whether SpaceX, whose satellites now make up some two thirds of spacecraft active in low Earth orbit, had signed up, Aschbacher said: “Not yet, but we are in discussion with them... This is a charter that keeps evolving and... we will keep raising the topics because they are so fundamental.”