Satellite tests out space junk clear-up equipment for first time

A British-designed satellite has tested technology for salvaging space junk for the first time.

RemoveDEBRIS, built to clean up thousands of potentially dangerous pieces of junk orbiting Earth, deployed its net as part of a practice experiment in space on Sunday, researchers said.

The 220lb spacecraft, equipped with a net and harpoon, was designed and built by a consortium led by the University of Surrey and funded by the European Commission. It is the first practical attempt to try out clean-up technology.

Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, director of Surrey Space Centre, said he was “absolutely delighted” with the outcome.

He said: “While it might sound like a simple idea, the complexity of using a net in space to capture a piece of debris took years of planning, engineering and co-ordination.”

After the successful test it will try out more technologies in the coming months as part of an experimental phase.

Nasa tracks more than 20,000 pieces of debris larger than a cricket ball orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500mph. There are an estimated 500,000 pieces the size of a marble or larger. Although the chances are low, a collision between even a small object and a spacecraft carrying equipment or a human crew would be disastrous.