Phys.org September 28, 2018 Ejecting plasma beam from the satellite to impart a force to the debris to decelerate it so that it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere and burning up naturally, accelerates the satellite in the opposite direction, which makes it difficult to maintain a consistent distance between debris and the satellite. An international team of researchers (Japan, Australia) demonstrated that the bi-directional ejection of plasma plumes from a helicon plasma thruster can yield the space debris removal operation using a single propulsion system. In laboratory experiments, the plasma thruster was precisely controlled with a magnetic field and gas injection. […]
Category Archives: Space debris
A satellite with a harpoon, net and drag sail to capture space junk is in orbit and will be tested soon
Phys.org June 29, 2018 NASA is experimenting with the RemoveDebris spacecraft deployed from the ISS, to conduct a series of active debris removal (ADR) technology demonstrations starting in September 2018. Two CubeSats are launched as artificial debris targets to demonstrate some of the technologies. First CubeSat will inflate its onboard balloon to simulate a larger piece of junk. The RemoveDebris spacecraft will then deploy its net to capture it, then guide it into the Earth’s atmosphere where the net will be released. The second CubeSat will be used to test the mothership’s tracking and ranging lasers, its algorithms, and its […]