Swiss scientists at the Swiss Space Center of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) announced plans Wednesday to launch a “janitor satellite” to combat space junk and lower the risk of mid-space collisions. The “janitor satellite,” known as CleanSpace One, will attempt to clean up one of two satellites: the Swisscube picosatellite or TIsat. Swiss scientists hope that the success of CleanSpace One will lead to the development and deployment of an entire family of “janitor satellites.”
Space junk, which is primarily defined by pieces of old rockets and broken satellites, is a threat to spaceships and working satellites. Additional space junk is created when a working satellite or spaceship collides with one of the estimated 16,000 pieces of space junk.
“It has become essential to be aware of the existence of this debris and the risks that are run by its proliferation,” said Claude Nicollier, astronaut and EPFL professor, in a report written by EPFL’s Emmanuel Barroud.
In fact, some space experts warn that the that risk of colliding with space debris will prevent astronauts from traveling into space in the near future. “It will be a huge risk for an astronaut to go to space,” said John L. Junkins, a professor of aerospace engineering at Texas A&M University, according to The New York Times. “No one will insure a space launch,” Mr. Junkins added.
EPFL reports that a family of “janitor satellites” would be faced with 16,000 pieces of space junk that are bigger than 10 cm and many millions of smaller pieces that are also orbiting the Earth. The space junk travels around Earth at a speed of several kilometers per second.
Space junk is a serious hazard to satellites and other space travelers. The Swiss Space Center cites an incident in February 2009, in which the U.S. satellite Iridium-33 collided with the Russian satellite Cosmos-2251. According to the report, the estimated cost for insurance companies in the space sector to insure existing satellites is $20 billion.
The EPFL’s report highlights three hurdles that CleanSpace One will face as it attempts to remove one of Switzerland’s satellites from orbit. First, the “janitor satellite” will have to modify its trajectory to match the satellite’s orbital plane. Second, the “janitor satellite” will have to catch hold of the satellite and stabilize it. And third, the “janitor satellite” will have to “de-orbit” the defunct satellite and reenter the atmosphere.
“The [primary] challenge will be having a deployment either of a robotic arm or a deployment of a mechanism that will embrace or grab exactly Swisscube,” said Muriel Richard, an EPFL scientist, in a press video.
If the “janitor satellite” is unsuccessful, Swiss scientists may have to take a different approach to cleaning up Earth’s orbit. Although they are unlikely to do so, the Swiss scientists could follow the same path as China and create an antisatellite weapon to destroy defunct satellites.
In 2007, a Chinese missile took out one of China’s weather satellites. The weather satellite, which was located approximately 500 miles above the Earth, demonstrated China’s ability to deploy sophisticated technology into space.
A family of “janitor satellites” would go a long way towards easing space tensions. In January, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the U.S. will work with other nations to combat space junk and “irresponsible actors” in space.
“A code of conduct will help maintain the long-term sustainability, safety, stability and security of space by establishing guidelines for the responsible use of space,” said Ms. Clinton in a statement, according to Space.com.
“As we begin this work, the United States has made clear to our partners that we will not enter into a code of conduct that in any way constrains our national security-related activities in space or our ability to protect the United States and our allies,” Ms. Clinton added.
Prompting Ms. Clinton to issue a statement, was the plunge to Earth of Russia’s “Phobos-Grunt” satellite. Although the doomed Russian satellite posed little risk to humans, the event highlighted the growing need to address space junk at the international level.
If it is launched, the “janitor satellite” will have a lot of work to do to make space safer for satellites and spaceships. However, the Swiss Space Center feels like it is up for the task.
“We want to offer and sell a whole family of ready-made systems, designed as sustainably as possible, that are able to de-orbit several different kinds of satellites,” said Swiss Space Center Director Volker Gass, according to Forbes. “Space agencies are increasingly finding it necessary to take into consideration and prepare for the elimination of the stuff they’re sending into space. We want to be the pioneers in this area,” Mr. Gass added.
According to the January 2012 issue of Orbital Debris, which is published by the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office, “the year 2011 ended with the least number of identified satellite breakups since 2002.” The report also reveals that the number of long-lived larger pieces of space junk (more than 10cm) appear to have been very few in nature.
Furthermore, the report posits that the “the number of cataloged debris in Earth orbit actually decreased during 2011 as solar activity increased toward an anticipated maximum in 2013.” If the Swiss scientists are unable to successfully “de-orbit” a satellite with CleanSpace One, engineers may have to rely on a more natural method of combating space junk.
The New York Times reports that Swiss scientists are not the only space engineers attempting to eliminate space debris. Star Technology and Research recently received $1.9 million from NASA to work on the ElectroDynamic Debris Eliminator. The contraption would reportedly “de-orbit” a piece of space junk by capturing it with a net. The ElectroDynamic Debris Eliminator, unlike the CleanSpace One, would not reenter the atmosphere with its prey, but pursue the next piece of space junk.
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is also interested in combating space junk with a space-debris destroying satellite, according to ABC News. The Germans have drawn up blueprints for a “Deos” satellite, which would clear outer space of other satellites.
Although “janitor satellites” are specifically designed for non-military purposes, satellites with space cleaning abilities could have military applications in the near future. The ability to “de-orbit” another nation’s satellites could have a devastating impact on the target nation’s communications systems.
