Discussion Cleaning up the space junk?

[orb]

ESA: Setting a satellite to catch a satellite:

8 July 2016

The target is set: a large derelict satellite currently silently tumbling its way through low orbit. If all goes to plan, in 2023 it will vanish – and efforts against space debris will have made a giant leap forward.

That is the vision underpinning e.Deorbit, intended as the world’s first mission to remove a large piece of space junk – if it is given the initial go-ahead by Europe’s space ministers at the Agency’s Ministerial Council in December.

The basic idea is simple: set a satellite to catch a satellite. e.Deorbit will rendezvous with, grapple and hard-capture the drifting satellite, then push the pair down to burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere.

{...}

 

[C3PO]

Wouldn't a small unmanned space-plane be perfect for these kind of missions? An air-launched system could reach almost any orbit. It might be a very good platform for developing reusability in a sensible way.

 

[Andy44]

Wouldn't a small unmanned space-plane be perfect for these kind of missions? An air-launched system could reach almost any orbit. It might be a very good platform for developing reusability in a sensible way.

Good question. You'd have to get the launch costs way down and if possible maybe even salvage some of the expensive equipment.

A lot of bean-counting goes into this. What is the likely cost of damage caused by space junk over the next few decades vs. the cost of removing some of the debris? How much debris do you have to remove before it becomes too bothersome to continue?

 

[C3PO]

I was thinking 'relative to the sat in Orb's link'.

Salvage is a non-starter in LEO. The required DV for plane changes couldn't compete with launching from Earth. Maybe once significant fabrication has started at L1 or on/around the Moon. But that's way in the future, like Jetsons-furure.

I recon removing space debris will be viewed as too expensive to protect satellites, but if manned flights become common it may be an issue. Funding any cleanup will be a hard nut to crack.

 

[Col_Klonk]

How about automated light-weight spider webs that open up in space, fluoresce under solar energy (so you can see them), add a little bit of control.

Place them in the junk orbit and they'll eventually drag any caught junk back into the atmosphere where it burns up.

Should be cheap ?

 

[RisingFury]

Grow up and use nuclear engines to reduce cost, then launch a bunch of janitors.

And when was the last time that anything nuclear was cheap?

 

[orb]

SPACE.com: US, China Will Meet This Year to Talk Space Debris

 

[Notebook]

http://www.projectadrift.co.uk/

It may be art, maybe science?

N.

 

[jedidia]

That short documentary is pretty nice.

 

[Notebook]

Indeed, its a good little project. Hope they continue.

N.