Swiss Plan “Janitor Satellite” to Clean Up Space Junk

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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Swiss Plan “Janitor Satellite” to Clean Up Space Junk

Space debris (photo: NASA)

Having decided enough’s enough with all the manmade space debris floating around the earth, Switzerland plans to develop a special satellite that will clean up Swiss space junk.

Dubbed CleanSpace One, the project will employ a new kind of “janitor satellite” that can go into orbit, grab a hunk of space debris and pull it back down towards earth, with both satellite and junk burning up before reaching the planet’s surface.

Swiss officials plan to spend $10.8 million to develop the prototype of the janitor satellite.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration estimates there are 16,000 pieces of debris orbiting the earth that are larger than 10 centimeters in diameter. Even ones as small as a few inches in size can cause serious damage to spacecraft. If the Swiss endeavor proves successful, it could lead to other countries doing something about their own refuse left floating in space.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Cleaning Up Earth's Orbit: A Swiss Satellite To Tackle Space Debris (EPFL News)

The Ever-Growing Problem of Space Junk (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)

NASA Orbital Debris Program Office

Orbital Debris Quarterly News (NASA)

Comments

RFBurns 12 years ago

other countries? they make it sound like the majority of that debris up there is because of a lot of countries putting junk up there to begin with..when only two countries for the last 60 years has been putting junk up there. it is only within the last 5 to 10 that a few more nations began launching junk up there. so the intent by the swiss is honorable and admirable. too bad the primary litterers of space ain't lifting a finger or rocket or satellite to clean up their messes. the ultimate outsourcing! wow.

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Swiss Plan “Janitor Satellite” to Clean Up Space Junk

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