Space debris has become an increasingly serious problem in Earth’s orbit. According to NASA, there are about 6,000 tons of debris in orbit. This debris also has the potential to fall to Earth, thus posing a direct threat to terrestrial safety.
Astroscale’s Battle with Space Debris
Astroscale, a company, has taken a significant step to combat this problem. The company’s ADRAS-J satellite managed to photograph a rocket part, which is 11 meters long and orbiting in low Earth orbit. This operation demonstrates the company’s advancement in space debris cleaning technology. The captured photo revealed that the debris was only 50 meters away from the satellite. Now, the device will move to make contact with the debris and safely remove it from orbit. With the intervention of robotic arms, debris management will be taken over and subsequently removed from Earth’s orbit.
This work is of great importance because the debris in orbit also threatens existing space vehicles like the International Space Station. Astroscale’s mission has the potential to start a new era in the cleanup of space debris.
