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A British satellite has successfully demonstrated that it is easy to clean up space debris.
The RemoveDEBRIS satellite has deployed a huge net Sunday that has effectively captured its target, marking the first time that a debris removal system has been used in the space.
"We are absolutely delighted with the result of the network technology," said Guglielmo Aglietti, director of the Surrey Space Center, in a statement. "Although it may seem simple, the complexity of using a net in space to capture debris has required many years of planning, engineering and coordination."
The target, deployed by the satellite for demonstration purposes, was in fact not a space debris. In the case of space debris, experience has shown how the network would deploy to drag the debris to the Earth's atmosphere where it is consumed.
This first experiment only tested the network technology, but the satellite will test other methods of cleaning space debris in the coming months. It is currently equipped with a space harpoon, which will catch space debris, as well as a "snail", which will help debris de-orate faster.
"We thought that technologies such as the harpoon or the net are relatively inexpensive," said The Verge, director of the Surrey Space Center and lead researcher for the RemoveDEBRIS project after the launch of the satellite in April. "If we can demonstrate affordable technologies, it is very likely that this will happen."
There are more than 500,000 pieces of waste in orbit around the Earth. Each piece measures between a 1-centimeter bolt and an empty 30,000-pound rocket booster and often flies at a rate of 30,000 miles at the hour – or faster than a fastball.
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