The U.S. Space Force wants to clear garbage in orbit

Neither the space industry nor government agencies have yet to reduce a particular view of space junk. For example, Rogue Space Systems is developing a wasp-shaped spacecraft called Fred Orbot with wing-like solar panels. It is designed to pick up medium-sized pieces of garbage from space and move them away from incoming satellites. With its four robotic attachments, it will float to a debris or satellite, grab it in its arms, and gently move it to another orbit. If it is taking up a piece of space debris, it will push it into a lower orbit, eventually falling into the atmosphere and burning. Alternatively, Fred could be equipped with pushers or small cords to push the object that could be attached to a missing spacecraft downwards so that Fred could quickly shake it toward his next orbital task.

Other companies have focused on technologies to remove larger pieces of debris, including bus-sized rocket bodies, which would generate a lot of debris in the event of a collision. These debris can weigh tons, it won’t be easy to catch or move into a new orbit and it can be too big to burn. “These objects are not sitting; they are falling. You have a very difficult choreography for the appointment, ”says Darren McKnight, of LeoLabs, a California-based Menlo Park company that monitors space debris with radar systems. He and his colleagues are experimenting with a third approach, often called “just-in-time” to avoid collisions. This could involve connecting a propellant and a GPS receiver to a dead satellite, turning it into a kind of zombie ship that can move on its own, at least enough to prevent an accident. Or as simple as a dust puff in front of a dead spacecraft could provide enough air resistance to slow it down or push it to another route.

Whatever the approach, McKnight says, as so many technologies are being developed, he would like to use them sooner rather than later. “Actually, we need to put these systems that work in orbit. The time for tidying up is over, ”he says.

This sentiment is reflected in a number of new international initiatives, for example Zero clean space, announced on November 12 at the Paris Peace Forum, an effort organized by an international nonprofit group. The Net Zero Space statement reads like a UN agreement, committing itself to two main goals: to stop making more space debris, and to start disposing of existing debris by 2030. The Earth’s orbital environment, ”he says.

Although the problem of garbage is widespread between the space agency and the industry, “there is very little international cooperation,” says Jérôme Barbier, head of space, digital and economics at the Paris Peace Forum. However, he continues, “space debris has no nationality. All our goods and all the services associated with them are being threatened, and we must take action before it is too late. ”