Let’s Clean Up The Space Junk With Magnetic Space Tugs

Science Editor
Jul 24, 2017 · 1 min read

After 50 years of sending rockets, satellites, and payloads into orbit, humanity has created something of a “space junk” problem.

Recent estimates indicate that there are more than 170 million pieces of debris up there, ranging in size from less than 1 cm (o.4 in) to a few meters in diameter. Not only does this junk threaten spacecraft and the ISS, but collisions between bits of debris can cause more to form, a phenomena known as the Kessler Effect.

And thanks to the growth of the commercial aerospace industry and the development of small satellites, things are not likely to get any less cluttered up there anytime soon. Hence why multiple strategies are being explored to clean up the space lanes, ranging from robotic arms and nets to harpoons…

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