Harpoons, nets and sails are to be sent into space in an effort to tackle the problem of space junk, scientists have revealed.
The mission, dubbed RemoveDebris, is expected to launch early next year and will test a range of devices designed to sweep up litter orbiting the Earth. [...]
Around 7,000 tonnes of space junk are estimated to circle our planet, ranging from defunct satellites to tiny fragments of debris, with the figure rising exponentially.
It’s a very real hazard. In 2009, the US satellite Iridium 33 collided with the defunct Russian satellite Kosmos 225 in an event that destroyed them both. [...]
Funded by the European commission to the tune of around €13m (£10.9m), the RemoveDebris mission is set to be one of the world’s first mission to test systems for capturing junk in space. While a full-scale mission is likely to cost significantly more, Forshaw believes it is a necessary expense. “The reality is you are spending a small amount now to prevent huge disasters from occurring in the future,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment