Prince Charles has called on countries around the world to make an "environmental management agreement" for space after "making a mess of this planet".
Prince Charles wants to take action on space junk
The 73-year-old royal spoke with engineers from the private firm Astroscale, which is working on new technology to capture defunct satellites with the aim of removing or repairing them, and after learning about the UK's leading role in in clearing space junk orbiting the planet, he called for other territories to join in.
Sitting down with industry representatives and Science Minister George Freeman - who announced the UK Space Agency is giving £1.7 million for 13 new projects tackling space debris - Charles told the group: "It just occurred while we’re making rather a mess of this planet, that it might be useful to have an environmental management agreement for space."
Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, was among those present for the meeting and highlighted the "huge commercial opportunity" for firms trying to remove such articles from space.
He said: "Astroscale is a world leading technology platform for reducing very, very damaging space debris and helping companies make sure that when their satellites die they’re removed and brought back down to earth.
"There’s a huge commercial opportunity. As the sector evolves everyone will be required to have satellite maintenance and servicing contracts to show they’re not dumping rubbish in space, and I think the UK could be a world leader in setting the standards and therefore the insurance market."
It is estimated a staggering 330 million pieces of so-called space junk - including spent rocket bodies, obsolete satellites, and smaller objects - are currently orbiting the Earth.
Their presence poses a threat to new satellites being launched each year, which have functions including climate change monitoring and communications.
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