A magnetic spacecraft that can attract dead satellites has entered orbit. A test in a new effort to clean up space junk.
- Japanese company Astroscale launched a magnetic satellite as a demo of a space junk clean-up effort.
- Space junk rockets around Earth faster than bullets, threatening satellites and the space station.
- Dead satellites are the greatest threats, but there are few efforts to get rid of them.
Earth’s orbit desperately needs someone to take out the trash. A Japanese company is trying to keep the problem from getting worse. The company, called Astroscale, has designed a spacecraft with a magnetic plate that can attach to dead satellites – as long as they have the other side of the magnet. That enables it to pull the satellites into a freefall, burning up both the spacecraft and its satellite passenger in Earth’s atmosphere.The first version of this technology is called the End-of-Life Services by Astroscale demonstration mission, or ELSA-d, and it launched from Kazakhstan on Monday. The spacecraft carries a fake piece of “space debris” with the necessary magnetic plate built in. The plan calls for ELSA-d to release this fake debris then practice grabbing it while both are in orbit.AdvertisementIn the future, satellite companies could build this type of magnetic docking plate into their own spacecraft and hire Astroscale to remove satellites from orbit when they go defunct.
“This is an incredible moment, not only for our team, but for the entire satellite servicing industry, as we work towards maturing the debris-removal market and ensuring the responsible use of our orbits,” Nobu Okada, Astroscale Founder and CEO, said in a statement.In other words, as the company tweeted after launch: “Let the era of space sustainability begin.”