International Space Station is about to do something amazing

The International Space Station has launched a satellite that will focus on the problem of space debris and debris that is progressively worsening. And he will possess the amazing ability to harpoon unwanted space to remove it from orbit.

The orbit around the Earth has been filling for years with destroyed or dead satellites and, although the situation is not yet critical, the authorities recognize that it is time to begin cleanup before the catastrophic collisions do not become more frequent. A cube-shaped satellite developed by a number of companies called RemoveDEBRIS actually has a harpoon that can harpoon space debris and then collect it.

RemoveDERBIS was released by Canadarm2 robotic arm, and scientists made contact with the 220-pound satellite. Over the next few months, RemoveDEBRIS will conduct experiments, although he will not be using his harpoon until 2019. RemoveDEBRIS will have other tools at his disposal, such as a net and a large drag.

"NanoRacks-Remove Debris demonstrates an approach to reduce the risks posed by space debris or" space debris, "NASA said in a statement. "Collisions in space can have serious consequences, but research has shown that the removal of the most important debris significantly reduces the risk of collisions." NanoRacks-Remove Debris demonstrates the use of A 3D camera to map the location and speed of debris. Simulated orbit debris up to 1m in size.Analysis of the video of the race back to Earth increases the understanding of the debris that needs to be removed and the best way to do it. "

A statement describing the technology of the University of Surrey in the UK follows below.

RemoveDEBRIS aims to perform demonstrations of key debris removal technologies (ADR) (eg capturing, deorbiting) representative of an operational scenario during a low cost mission utilizing key new technologies. for ADR.

The mission will include a main satellite platform (~ 100 kg) that, once in orbit, will deploy two CubeSats as artificial debris targets to demonstrate some of the technologies (net capture, harpoon capture, vision-based navigation, de-orbiting). The project is co-funded by the European Commission and project partners and is led by the Surrey Space Center (SSC), University of Surrey, United Kingdom. The research leading to these results was funded by the Seventh Framework Program of the European Union (FP7 / 2007-2013) under Grant Agreement No. 607099.

In addition to the Surrey Space Center (Surrey University), the consortium includes: Airbus Defense and Space (Germany, United Kingdom and France / Toulouse), the second largest space company in the world; Airbus Safran Launchers (France); SSTL, a world leader in small satellites (United Kingdom); ISIS (Netherlands); CSEM (Switzerland); Inria (France); University of Stellenbosch (South Africa). The work is shared among the consortium members, as briefly described below:

Mission and Coordination of the SSC Consortium (UK)
Satellite systems engineering ASF (France)
Platform and Avionics – SSTL (UK)
Harpoon – Airbus (United Kingdom)
Net – Airbus (Germany)
Navigation by vision – CSEM (Switzerland) / INRIA / Airbus (France / Toulouse)
Cubesat dispensers – Innovative solutions in space (Holland)
Target cubesats – Surrey Space Center (United Kingdom) / STE
Dragsail – Surrey Space Center (United Kingdom)

The RemoveDEBRIS platform will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) using a NanoRacks service and a Space X rocket in 2018. The launch sequence is described as follows. The platform is packed in specialized boxes that are launched at the ISS. The boxes are unpacked by the astronauts and installed on a slide table. The sliding table moves into the Japanese ISS module and a special robotic arm grabs the platform and moves it to the outside of the ISS. The arm then frees the platform in a very specific direction and the mission begins.

The RemoveDebris platform is provided by SSTL and utilizes the next generation of Low Earth Orbit avionics systems and the structural design under development at SSTL called the X50 Series. The X50 architecture is based on a modular and extensible philosophy that uses common modules. This allows the system to be adaptable to different applications and mission requirements.

The platform is based on four side panels, a payload panel and a separator panel. The payloads are mounted either on the payload panel in the payload volume at the top of the avionics bay, or along the side panels as needed.