Specialized in the elimination of orbital debris, the Astroscale company has just validated the magnetic capture system of its ELSA-d demonstration satellite by catching simulated debris directly in orbit. However, other steps still need to be validated before the commissioning of this new system aimed at "cleaning up the space".
Imagine how dangerous sailing at sea would be if every watercraft ever lost in history were still adrift on the surface. In near space, it's a bit the same thing. The ESA estimates that more than 34,000 pieces of debris more than ten centimeters in diameter currently sail above our heads. Tens of thousands more are even smaller.
These objects, which spin through space at several tens of thousands of km/h, then represent a threat to active satellites and other occupants of the International Space Station. Recently, a Chinese satellite notably broke after hitting a piece of the Zenit-2 rocket, which launched a Russian satellite in 1996. These risks of collisions should also increase at the future due to the deployment of numerous satellite constellations aimed at providing broadband Internet access.
Over the past few years, a number of proposals have been put forward in an attempt to clean up this space. We know that China is considering using lasers in particular. The RemoveDebris project, the result of the work of the European Space Agency (ESA), Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) and Airbus, offers the capture of satellites using nets. This same project also tested the harpooning technique. More recently, the ’ European Space Agency (ESA) has signed an agreement with the Swiss start-up ClearSpace to deorbit space junk.
Astroscale, a private company specializing in the disposal of orbital debris, offers a magnetic capture system thanks to its ELSA-d satellite. Launched on March 22, the satellite entered orbit at an altitude of around 550 km before going through a commissioning phase. The ship has just successfully completed phase 3a of the demonstration phase.
During this test, performed last August 25 , the ship extended its capture mechanism which the client module (the fake space junk) was "locked" to. This module then moved away from the ship, which removed its capture mechanism before extending it again without the purpose of recovering the client module.
“This has been a fantastic first step in validating all the key technologies for rendezvous and proximity operations and space capture “, said Nobu Okada, founder and CEO of Astroscale. “We are proud to have proven our magnetic capture capabilities and excited to advance in-orbit service with ELSA-d “.
Ship now prepares for stage 4a, during which he will practice maneuvering independently near the client module before capturing it. Phase 4 will then involve capturing the module in free fall. The ship will fly over the module and inspect it thoroughly during phase 5. For phase 6, ELSA-d will de-orbit with the module, then transition to phase 7, during which it will dump all propellants and battery fluids before hitting the atmosphere.
