ClearSpace’s spacecraft will de-orbit an old rocket in 2025 in an attempt to clear up space debris. (Image Credit: ClearSpace SA)
Space junk is constantly orbiting the Earth at thousands of miles per hour. Companies, such as ClearSpace, are starting to take action with a clean-up mission. A European spacecraft will be the first one scheduled to remove a large piece of debris in 2025. Experts fear the same technology could be used as a weapon by terror groups or rogue nations.
Space debris, such as fragments of paint, Apollo-era equipment, and inoperable satellites as large as school buses are always orbiting the Earth. Orbiting at speeds of up to tens of thousands of miles per hour, the pieces could take out a functioning satellite, puncture an astronaut’s suit, or even impact an occupied spacecraft, like the International Space Station. Some of those pieces of debris will make their way back to Earth on their own, burning up in the process. However, some debris could survive re-entry into the atmosphere, posing a risk to human lives if it hits a populated area.
The European Space Agency has scheduled the first launch of a Swiss-designed ClearSpace-1 spacecraft to retrieve a large piece of space junk. Its mission, set to take place in 2025, involves latching onto a 265-pound piece of old rocket orbiting 310 miles above the Earth. It will then push it back into the atmosphere where it will burn up. The targeted piece of debris wasn’t designed with an interface or any type of system that may make it easier to grab onto. ClearSpace’s mission will be a test to uncover the spacecraft’s capabilities and limitations and to make any necessary improvements.
Future satellites and rockets could have interfaces added to their hardware, which would make it easier for companies to clean up by latching onto those interfaces.
Many companies say they can de-orbit 90 percent or more of the satellites when they start to break down or run out of fuel. It still leaves hundreds of debris from a mega constellation, causing the Earth’s orbit to become more hazardous before it gets cleaned up.
Even though cleaning up space is an admirable task, requiring years of clean-up and an unknown amount of money, the technology could also be used for bad intentions by a rogue nation or terrorist group. They could use the technology in an attempt to de-orbit and disable a missile-warning satellite, civilian satellite, or even the space station.
Companies such as Effective Space, RSC Energia, Airbus, Orbital ATK and Space Systems Loral are all building “space tugs,” which are traveling space rocket boosters that can attach themselves to satellites, extending their life while pushing them into a higher orbit. Effective Space is also showcasing its space tug as a space debris-removal vehicle. It would boost a piece of debris downwards into the atmosphere instead of boosting it up into orbit.
This is the same approach that space weaponry could use to attack spacecraft belonging to other countries. Countries like Russia, China and the United States have tested small, maneuverable satellites that could also be used to attack spacecraft. By maneuvering closely to other countries’ spacecraft, the satellite could grab onto its target and de-orbit it into the atmosphere.
In the meantime, the amount of space junk orbiting the Earth is likely to increase in the upcoming years. Spacecraft is getting smaller and becoming cheaper to build. In 2017, the Indian Space Research Organization already deployed a rocket that carried 104 small satellites. Some telecommunication companies are also planning on deploying “mega constellations” of small spacecraft that could consist of thousands or even tens of thousands of small satellites.
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