Satellite collects ‘space debris’ with magnet

A new satellite will collect space debris with a magnet for the first time. It is a test mission to determine if the satellite is a solution for the large amount of space debris.

In recent years, an increasing number of objects have been thrown into space. It also greatly increases the risk of a major collision in the hold above the ground. Japanese space waste disposal company Astroscale is currently testing a possible solution.

The debris cleaner was successfully launched on March 20 with a Russian Soyuz missile. The spacecraft consists of a small and a large satellite. The small satellite masquerades as space debris: it has a magnetic plate with which the large satellite can catch it.

Little human help

The spacecraft will perform three tests once it orbits Earth. At each test, the large satellite will drop the small one and reattach it. In the first test, the large satellite only frees the small one for a short distance. In the second test, the “space debris” falls first before the large satellite reconnects it.

If these tests go well, the piece of “space debris” will float a few hundred meters during the third test. Then the big satellite must catch the small one again. All of these experiments are carried out by the satellite autonomously, with little or no human assistance.

Back on earth

“Demonstrations like this have never been done in space. They are quite different, for example, from an astronaut who controls a robotic arm on the ISS space station, ”explains Jason Forshaw of the UK branch of Astroscale. “It’s a much more independent mission.” After testing, both satellites will burn in Earth’s atmosphere.

So if companies want to use this trick, they have to screw a magnetic plate onto their satellites so that they can catch space objects again later. Due to the increasing amount of space debris, governments are now forcing companies to return their satellites to Earth.

This could be a great solution, says Forschaw. Currently, each debris cleaner can only catch one satellite, but Astroscale is working on a newer version that can bring three or four satellites out of orbit at a time.