In a groundbreaking mission, a Japanese spacecraft successfully rendezvoused with a three-ton piece of rocket debris, highlighting the growing concern of space junk orbiting Earth. The Astroscale satellite tracked down the 15-year-old rocket segment and even managed to capture a picture of the floating space debris.
With the increasing amount of space debris posing a threat to communications and space missions, the purpose of this mission is to explore possibilities of removing the harmful junk floating in Earth’s orbit. NASA estimates that there are tens of thousands of pieces of space junk larger than 10 centimeters already orbiting our planet, with over 9,000 metric tons of space debris as of 2022.
Astroscale is taking proactive steps to address this looming issue by planning to launch another satellite equipped with robotic arms to bring the space junk under control. The presence of space debris not only poses a threat of collisions but also disrupts communication systems and space missions.
As private companies and governments become increasingly reliant on space technology, the need to tackle the growing problem of space junk is more urgent than ever. Astroscale’s innovative approach to dealing with space debris marks a significant step towards ensuring the sustainability and safety of activities in space. Stay tuned for more updates on this mission and how it could potentially revolutionize the way we manage space debris.
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