As space debris continues to pose a threat to our technological advancements, the European Space Agency and private company Clearspace have announced plans to launch a spacecraft in 2026. This spacecraft will use robotic arms to capture a 250-pound rocket section and safely lower it into the atmosphere for burning up. The mission is in response to the growing problem of space debris, with the US space force stating that a part of their rocket was likely hit by small debris last summer.
While America plans to conduct its own space debris disposal missions, NASA is still finalizing its space sustainability plan before making any major decisions. NASA’s assistant administrator, Melroy, has experience with various de-orbital concepts from his time at DARPA, including harpoons, nets or orbital gauntlets. However, NASA’s annual budgets are set by Congress, which recently cut the agency’s fiscal year 2024 budget by 2 percent. A mission to remove the debris would require a significant investment, but NASA’s cost-benefit analysis suggests that removing the 50 most worrisome objects in low Earth orbit would be beneficial in the long term.
Developing technologies such as lasers to remove debris from critical satellites is also considered a financially viable and necessary step in preventing collisions. However, designing and implementing such garbage disposal technology will take time, and scaling up operations will require even longer. According to planetary scientist Aaron Boley, while releasing NASA’s space sustainability strategy is a positive step towards addressing this issue, behavioral change is essential because cleaning up space junk is ineffective if the problem continues to worsen through continued pollution and the addition of more junk into orbit.
In conclusion, as we continue to explore new frontiers beyond our planet, it becomes increasingly important that we address issues such as space debris before they become catastrophic problems for humanity. With innovative solutions like those being proposed by Clearspace and NASA’s assistant administrator Melroy and others working towards creating sustainable methods for keeping our cosmos clean and safe for future generations.