Two UK firms are developing technologies to track down and capture the growing number of defunct satellites orbiting the planet.
ClearSpace is designing a spacecraft that looks a little like a giant squid, with multiple arms reaching out to wrap around a target satellite."We have to we have to find a way of capturing and enclosing these objects so they don't spin away from us," he said.
"One advantage with the mechanism we have is that we can completely get around the object before we pull it in tightly to make sure it can't slip away and can't go off in the direction we're not expecting."A computer-generated image of objects in Earth orbit that are currently being tracked. Approximately 95% of the objects in this illustration are orbital debris Pic: NASA
The other company, Oxfordshire-based Astroscale, will use a spacecraft with a long robotic arm to grab the defunct satellite. Jason Forshaw, head of future business at the company, said designing a spacecraft that could assess and capture an ageing satellite was a huge challenge."Sometimes antennas fall off, sometimes they get hit by debris."Then the second stage is actually getting closer to it and latching on, and there is complexity in the robotics needed to do that."The spacecraft will have to work autonomously.
Astroscale is hoping satellite manufacturers start adding a standardised docking plate to their designs to make it easier for another spacecraft to latch on, either to refuel and service it, or to remove it from orbit.
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