IPFS News Link • Space Travel and Exploration
RemoveDebris satellite will test space junk removal methods
• https://www.nextbigfuture.comThe idea is to test technologies that could one day be used to snag and de-orbit space junk.
In one test, a small cubesat will be released from the RemoveDebris satellite, which then will try to target and snare it with a net that could then be used to pull it out of orbit.
"The idea is that the net, as a way to capture debris, is a very flexible option because even if the debris is spinning, or has got an irregular shape, to capture it with a net is relatively low-risk compared to, for example, going with a robotic arm," said Guglielmo Aglietti, RemoveDEBRIS principal investigator, and director of the Surrey Space Center.