16 words
A junkyard of space debris in the Earth’s orbit is dangerous to satellites and even rockets. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is trying to solve the problem with a plan that is as old as the problem is new―trap the junk with “nets.”
JAXA has teamed up with a fishing net company to trap the debris, such as dead satellites and rocket stages, with a large net, and then release it down into the atmosphere to burn up. It has not yet been determined when the system will be sent up into space, but the company aims to complete the system in two years. It is estimated that there are about 16,000 pieces of debris measuring more than 10 cm, and the number could reach up to tens of millions if smaller ones are counted. The junk, some in low orbit, could damage satellites if it hit them. While the US and other countries are watching the debris, efforts to solve the problem have not made much progress.
JAXA and the fishing net company plan to put a several-kilometer-long metal net onto a capture satellite and send it up into space. Once the satellite is in orbit, the net will be connected to a piece of space debris using the satellite’s robot arm. As the net orbits the Earth, it will both collect space debris and become charged with electricity. The Earth’s magnetic field will then gradually draw the net toward the Earth. The net, along with the space debris, will burn up when it comes back into the atmosphere. This method of removing the junk has another advantage: it requires no fuel except for the initial launch.