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Space Debris

Should we ban space weapons to stop the huge space junk problem? Space Debris

Should we ban space weapons to stop the huge space junk problem?

Space | Analysis 2 September 2021 By Jonathan O’Callaghan The growing space junk problem could get worse with anti-satellite weapons Frame Stock Footage/Shutterstock Today there are an estimated 18,000 pieces of trackable space junk in Earth’s orbit, which includes anything larger than a tennis ball. The largest group of these…
bubmag
September 2, 2021
Man-made ‘space junk’ is already making it more difficult to explore the final frontier Space Debris

Man-made ‘space junk’ is already making it more difficult to explore the final frontier

WHEN AMATEUR IRISH astronomer John Flannery first took an interest in the hobby as a child, space was a much cleaner place than it is in 2021. Thanks to human activity, there are now hundreds of thousands of man-made objects ranging from satellites — some ‘live’ and some ‘dead’ —…
bubmag
August 28, 2021
What Goes Up Must Come Down: Helping Clean Up Space Junk With First-of-Its-Kind Mission Optimizer Space Debris

What Goes Up Must Come Down: Helping Clean Up Space Junk With First-of-Its-Kind Mission Optimizer

Illustration of ClearSpace-1, a planned active debris removal mission. Credit: ClearSpace SA Less than a year on from the UK Space Agency committing £1 million in funding to combat space debris, Fujitsu UK has successfully combined quantum-inspired computing and Artificial Intelligence to support the transformation of space debris removal. Fujitsu’s…
bubmag
August 27, 2021
Astroscale successfully demos in-space capture-and-release system to clear orbital debris Space Debris

Astroscale successfully demos in-space capture-and-release system to clear orbital debris

Astroscale hit a major milestone Wednesday, when its space junk removal demo satellite that’s currently in orbit successfully captured and released a client spacecraft using a magnetic system. The End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) mission was launched in March, with the goal of validating the company’s orbital debris removal tech.…
bubmag
August 25, 2021
Rocket Lab will launch a Finnish cubesat this year to test space junk cleanup tech Space Debris

Rocket Lab will launch a Finnish cubesat this year to test space junk cleanup tech

Home News Spaceflight An artist's illustration of Aurora Propulsion Technologies' AuroraSat-1, a cubesat designed to demonstrate several space junk cleanup technologies. AuroraSat-1 is scheduled to launch atop a Rocket Lab Electron booster in late 2021. (Image credit: Aurora Propulsion Technologies/Rocket Lab) Technology that could ease humanity's space junk problem is…
bubmag
August 18, 2021
Astroscale and rocket maker MHI team up to develop debris removal technology Space Debris

Astroscale and rocket maker MHI team up to develop debris removal technology

by Sandra Erwin — July 27, 2021 The main cause of in-orbit explosions is related to residual fuel that remains in tanks or fuel lines once a rocket stage or satellite is discarded in Earth orbit. Credit: ESA Astroscale: 'We are considering future opportunities that could include joint technology development…
bubmag
July 27, 2021