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29.11.2010
Russia will build a special orbital pod that would sweep up satellite debris from space around the Earth.
Space debris around the Earth (Credit: ESA)
Every year, the space near Earth becomes more and more densely populated with used satellites and their debris, and the new system - estimated to cost about 60 billion rubles ($1.9 billion) - would help clean it up, Xinhua reported citing Russia's Rocket and Space Corporation, also known as Energia.
"The corporation promises to clean up the space in 10 years by collecting about 600 defunct satellites on the same geosynchronous orbit and sinking them into the oceans subsequently," Victor Sinyavsky from the company was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
Artist's concept of cleaning pod satellite grabs an rocket stage debris
The cleaning satellite would work on nuclear power and would be capable to work up to 15 years, he said.
Energia said in a statement that the company would complete the cleaning satellite assembly by 2020 and test the device no later than in 2023.
Sinyavsky said Energia was also in the process of designing a space interceptor that would to destroy dangerous space objects heading towards the Earth.
Space debris through satellites (by David Clark)
One Friday last November, the six astronauts onboard the International Space Station received an urgent warning from mission control: Watch out for space junk. A piece of orbital debris, possibly a chunk of satellite, was hurtling toward the station. A direct hit could break through the hull. The crew prepped for escape.
The fragment ended up missing them by about 3.7 miles. Near-collisions between debris and spacecraft are on the rise, as we continue to put trash in orbit faster than it can fall back out—a phenomenon known as the Kessler Syndrome, in which each collision between pieces of space debris creates even more debris. It’s a chain reaction that will make the problem much worse.
Related link:
Five Ideas To Fight Space Junk, by David Kushner: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-07/cluttered-space
Images, Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS / ESA / David Kushner (two ultimate paragraphs) / David Clark (comic draw).
Cheers, Orbiter.ch
