Your hardware is end-of-life... and it's in space. Worry not, Anglo-Japanese sat to test new orbital cleanup method
- Reference: 1616488332
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/03/23/space_garbage_disposal_experiment/
- Source link:
[1]ELSA-d , which stands for End-of-Life Services demonstration, hitched a ride to space on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday at 0607 UTC. It was developed by Astroscale, a Japanese startup focused on orbital debris, and Surrey Satellite Technology, an aerospace biz spun out of the University of Surrey in England.
[2]
Once it arrives at its destination, the device will split into two components: a 175kg servicer satellite and a 17kg client satellite. The servicer contains a magnetic docking station while the client module simulates a hunk of metallic debris.
Signal acquisition of our [3]#ELSAd servicer and client satellites confirmed! 📡 Congrats to the entire team and thank you to all our partners and fellow Space Sweepers around the world for getting us this far. [4]#GoELSAd [5]pic.twitter.com/vmxRmpSQ6g — Astroscale (@astroscale_HQ) [6]March 22, 2021
[7]
During the mission, the servicer will repeatedly dock with and eject the client to demonstrate it can successfully locate and capture scraps of floating metal. The idea is that after the servicer catches things like defunct satellites using its docking mechanism, it can then release the objects into orbits where the stuff will eventually burn up in Earth’s atmosphere rather than accidentally crash into operational gear.
[8]Destroying trash is a good way of decluttering low-Earth orbit; it also decreases the chances of spacecraft prangs. In the worst case scenario, described by the Kessler effect, chunks of metal break off during these crashes and smash into other satellites, triggering a cascade of metallic trash. A sea of litter would flood space, making it difficult to lift off from Earth and safely make it into the Solar System and beyond.
Bear in mind ELSA-d only works as a garbage disposal if future spacecraft are kitted out with a large ferromagnetic plate, as seen on the client, to dock with the servicer module. You can watch a demo of how it works in a video below:
[9]Youtube Video
Demonstrating that space junk is a problem worth tackling, America's Federal Communications Commission [10]implemented a rule last year requesting telecommunications companies planning to launch satellites explain how they would minimize the chances of crashes in the void.
Spacecraft can sometimes spontaneously break down, too. The US Space Force's 18th Space Control Squadron announced that one of the country's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s now-defunct weather observing satellites fractured into 16 pieces:
[11]#18SPCS has confirmed the breakup of NOAA 17 (#27453, 2002-06-24) on March 10, 2021, at 0711 UTC. NOAA 17 was decommissioned in 2013. Tracking 16 associated pieces – no indication caused by collision. [12]#spaceflightsafety [13]#spacedebris [14]@spacetrackorg — 18 SPCS (@18SPCS) [15]March 19, 2021
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The Register has asked NOAA for comment. ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://astroscale.com/elsa-d/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YFnKT7ZcX40yMqrqCRBVmgAAAEk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://twitter.com/hashtag/ELSAd?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4] https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoELSAd?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5] https://t.co/vmxRmpSQ6g
[6] https://twitter.com/astroscale_HQ/status/1373990826791997443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YFnKT7ZcX40yMqrqCRBVmgAAAEk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/16/iss_battery_dump/
[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCWxdK7l0hI
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2020/04/24/orbital_debris_fcc/
[11] https://twitter.com/hashtag/18SPCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12] https://twitter.com/hashtag/spaceflightsafety?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13] https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacedebris?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[14] https://twitter.com/SpaceTrackOrg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15] https://twitter.com/18SPCS/status/1372700633795547139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YFnKT7ZcX40yMqrqCRBVmgAAAEk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
kitted out with a large ferromagnetic plate
My first thought on this was - shame about all that titanium and aluminium alloy up there - how many satellites are fitted (or will be fitted) with the necessary chunks of ferrous metals - aka largely pointless mass?
Can't help thinking that if you can navigate closely enough to do a magnetic capture - per the rather fine video - you might do better with a grapple or a sticky net or something. This kinda looks like a solution that doesn't have a problem; that is, the problem is real but it's not in a state that this solution solves... and it's not clear that without legislation everything else launched will have the necessary ferrous chunks attached.
Is this thing intended only to catch complete satellites? In which case, I think Cubby Broccoli's fine documentary 'Moonraker' demonstrates prior art.
Re: kitted out with a large ferromagnetic plate
I was a little worried about the magnetic bit too but I wonder if a linear electric motor could be used to deorbit aluminium junk?
Or how about they just launch a massive rotating lump of Blu Tack in a retrograde orbit?
Re: kitted out with a large ferromagnetic plate
The reason for the magnetic docking is so that it can be released in a 'burn-up' orbit, and the clean-up satellite can move on to the next target.
If you use a net or sticky capture then you can't release it cleanly and your clean-up mission becomes a one time deal.
Re: kitted out with a large ferromagnetic plate
Depends how many lightweight nets you take - you're going to be severely limited by deltaV in terms of how many things you can deorbit anyway, probably a completely preplanned set of objects, so carrying n+1 nets isn't a bad policy.
Satellite Capture
First demonstrated over 50 years ago. IIRC, there was some Anglo-Japanese collaboration then.
[1]https://youtu.be/_qixtjMoMUA?t=67
In terms of actual technology, the landing is very much like what SpaceX do routinely these days
[1] https://youtu.be/_qixtjMoMUA?t=67
While NOAA said the satellite is not a threat to the space station or “other critical space assets,” it is in a sun-synchronous orbit used by other weather and Earth observation spacecraft.
Some of those satellites are not only threatened by such debris, but also pose a threat of creating more debris. Weeden noted a report by NASA’s inspector general in January that found two NASA missions in polar orbits, QuikSCAT and Terra, not only fail to meet the 25-year threshold for deorbiting spacecraft after the end of their missions, they also pose a risk of explosion because of batteries that cannot be disconnected or propellant tanks that cannot be depressurized."
The best thing to do - in the future - is to make a satellites last act a dive towards Earth.
Or at least out to a graveyard orbit... far too expensive to get a geostationary bird to get to the point of deorbiting.
Err...
"Spacecraft can sometimes spontaneously break down..."
Nitpicking I know, but surely it should be "Spacecraft can sometimes spontaneously break up..."
Breaking down is when something stops working. Breaking up is when something disintegrates.
Re: Err...
Even if they only break down then they are unable to actively avoid further collisions, leading to more likely break up.
Even solar pressure can induce rotations which will eventually cause break up...
Right On Commander!
This is why the docking computer is worth the credits