Posted in:
The competition appears to be fierce in Japan between scientists and startups to create projects that address the growing space debris and waste over time. Missile parts – already orbiting the Earth at a very high speed. And that number is likely to rise even more with the advent of “mega-constellations” of satellites that aim to provide faster internet access everywhere.
In an interview with AFP, Ms. Miki Ito, leader of Astroscale, a Japanese startup working for “sustainable” space, warned: “The simulations indicate that space will become unusable if we continue like this.” Improve the celestial environment before it’s too late. We are entering an era in which many satellites are launched one by one. And space will become more crowded.”
Accidents are already on the rise: in January, a Chinese satellite was hit by shrapnel from an old Soviet satellite. And last year, the thermocouple of the International Space Station’s (ISS) robotic arm was punctured by debris just a few millimeters away.
Laser beams to beat debris and keep it out of satellite orbit
“Small pieces of debris are a problem because they are not identified,” as opposed to large objects whose names, location and speed are “permanently tracked.” As explained by Japanese Space Agency researcher Toru Yamamoto.
Good practice rules exist to reduce space debris, such as converting expired satellites into “graveyard orbit”. But this is not enough, especially since there is currently no legally binding international text.
“A geostationary satellite faces about 100 warnings of approaching debris every year,” said Tadanori Fukushima, engineer for Japanese satellite operator Sky Perfect GAT.
Mr. Fukushima founded a startup looking for a solution still in the works: a laser beam that would vaporize the surface of space junk, creating a pulse of energy to move those objects into a new orbit.
Fukushima hopes to conduct the first test in space by the spring of 2025, in cooperation with various research institutes.
The Astroscale concept is more advanced: a kind of magnet-powered space “tug truck” to recover satellites at the end of their life.
The company passed the first test last year and plans to conduct a second test by the end of 2024, in partnership with OSI and Onewap, the British operator of a group of low-orbit satellites.
“There is no universal cure”
Even more bizarre, another Japanese team has imagined wooden satellites, a material that has the advantage of being completely used up as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere.
This project of Kyoto University (western Japan) and the Sumitomo Forestry Group is still in its infancy: in March, pieces of wood were sent aboard the International Space Station to check their reaction to cosmic rays.
Fukushima said that Japan is one of the most dynamic space nations in developing space debris solutions.
But companies around the world are also working to conquer this emerging market, which could well emerge in 2030.
At the end of 2020, the European Space Agency signed a €100 million contract with a Swiss start-up, Claire Space, to send the world’s first commercial mission to clean up space debris into orbit in 2025.
American companies are also designing many satellite repair services to extend their use, for example by refueling in space.
The problem of space debris is complex enough to prevent a wide range of solutions from being implemented. There is no universal treatment, according to the same source.