Japan space scientists plan to pull junk out of orbit
Print Edition
Japanese space scientists are to trial a tether they hope will help pull junk out of orbit around Earth, clearing up planetary clutter, they said yesterday.
Researchers at The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have developed what they called an electrodynamic tether made from thin wires of stainless steel and aluminium.
One end of the strip will be attached to one of the thousands of dead satellites or bits of rocket jamming up space and endangering working equipment.
Electricity generated by the tether as it swings through the Earth’s magnetic field is expected to have a slowing effect on the space junk, which should, scientists say, pull it into a lower and lower orbit until it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, burning up harmlessly.
“The experiment is specifically designed to contribute to developing a space debris cleaning method,” said Masahiro Nohmi, associate professor at Kagawa University, who is working with JAXA on the project.
Nohmi said a satellite is set to be launched next month with the tether aboard.
More than 20,000 bits of cast off equipment orbit the Earth.
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