Astroscale, an orbital debris removal and satellite servicing company based
in Japan, announced July 27 that it will be working with rocket maker
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on technologies to help clean up space junk.
The collaboration between Astroscale and a launch provider is significant
because it could help address the growing problem of rocket upper stages
left behind in orbit, which the European Space Agency identified as the most
dangerous pieces of orbital debris.
A major concern cited by ESA is the breakup of satellites and rocket bodies
caused when batteries or propellant tanks explode.
Astroscale and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will “cooperate on the technical
aspects required to advance sustainable space operations,” according to a
news release. “Initial efforts will include discussions and development of
debris removal methods for upper stages.”
Alison Howlett, spokesperson for Astroscale, said the agreement with MHI is
to start discussions on “how to contribute to a sustainable space with
debris removal a possibility. We are considering future opportunities that
could include joint technology development or missions, and we have no fixed
plans or timelines right now.”
The growth of orbital debris — human-made objects in orbit that no longer
serve any useful purpose — is a problem that is frequently talked about, but
one for which no solutions have been developed.
At the G7 Leaders’ Summit last month, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union pledged to
“take action to tackle the growing hazard of space debris as our planet’s
orbit becomes increasingly crowded.”
The U.S. government estimates there are more than 23,000 orbital debris
larger than 10 centimeters in diameter and more than 500,000 particles
between 1 and 10 centimeters. Debris can stay in orbit for hundreds of years
and create collision hazards to the rapidly increasing number of new
satellites being launched each year.
Pentagon space policy official John Hill told SpaceNews that the Defense
Department is committed to reduce the creation of orbital debris but
currently there are no plans to remove U.S. upper stages.
“The reality is that for the first several decades of space activity,
governments, mostly the United States and the Soviet Union, conducted most
of the space operations, and the original practices were not taking into
account the kinds of things you have today regarding debris management,”
Hill said.
The U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices (ODMSP)
were established in 2001 to address the increased presence of orbital debris
in the near-Earth space environment. The guidelines were most recently
updated in December 2019.
So far only Japan’s space agency JAXA and Europe’s ESA have funded missions
to remove the removal of debris from orbit.
Astroscale was selected by JAXA as a commercial partner for for a debris
removal demonstration project. The next phase of that project will involve
the actual removal of an upper stage from orbit.
ESA selected Swiss startup ClearSpace-1 to attempt a debris removal mission
currently planned for 2025.
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Space & Astrophysics