Watch as Space Junk is captured by an ultra-fast galactic net for the first time

Composite: YouTube / Pixabay

It is estimated that there are more than 7600 tons of "space debris" floating around the Earth at this time. This is a serious problem that needs to be solved but, while some researchers are developing lasers and other high-tech solutions, a team from the University of Surrey has just successfully tested a more "classic". On September 16th, the RemoveDEBRIS system was used to target and capture a small satellite with a network and navigation system. The captured satellite was intentionally placed as part of the test, but this proves that the system could be effective in removing the real scrap that pollutes the space around our planet.

"It worked as we hoped," Surrey Space Center director Guglielmo Aglietti told the BBC. "The target was spinning as if we were expecting an unwanted piece to behave, but you can clearly see that the net is capturing it, and we are very happy with the way the experiment was conducted." RemoveDEBRIS was deployed from the International Space Station in June after a development phase that Airbus RemoveDEBRIS Project Manager Ingo Retat led for six years involving parabolic flights, dropping towers and thermal vacuum chambers. . During this week's test, the network moved around 44MPH and was guided by cameras and a Light Imaging Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system to its target. Now that the test is over, the net and its catch of the day should fall into the Earth's atmosphere. In the future, researchers want to develop a towing system to control where space debris is displaced.

With all the garbage currently floating in the space and the literal tons The RemoveDEBRIS team will probably need a larger network, but the plan should never be all-inclusive at one time. "You can not have like a garbage truck going around and picking up every [piece of debris]Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics told CNN: "Moving from one orbit to another requires as much fuel as being there, so it's hard to find a cost-effective solution. "

RemoveDEBRIS is a promising step in the right direction, but further research and funding will be needed to address the problem.