Astroscale Project: Space Debris Removal Demonstration Program Has Launched
A rocket has been launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to proceed with the space debris removal program.
The Soyuz rocket was sent to space to put 38 different satellites in the orbit. The mission was to demonstrate how to clean orbital debris or space junk.
The rocket was fully geared up and some interesting things are included in the payload. A 500 kg Earth imager equipment has been sent which is developed by the Korean Space Agency.
There will be a pair of spacecraft from the Astroscale Company, Tokyo, which is programmed to perform the demonstration. However, the task will be showcased from a space operation center in the UK.
The flight followed a lift-off at 06:07 GMT and lasted for nearly five hours. The duration was a cumulative result of putting so many different satellites in three different orbits above 500 km – 550 km from earth.
The space environment is rapidly changing and getting dangerous with cluttered space junk. It could be quite troublesome or can destroy the active satellites which are nearly 3,000 in number right now. And so the Astroscale mission is very crucial.
The debris which is revolving around the Earth weighs around 9,000 tonnes in total which is a great risk of space collision. The collisions can bring major problems in the daily lifestyle as Telecommunication, weather forecasting and many other much-needed services depend on the satellites.
The latest Astroscale rocket is called ‘Elsa-D’ which means, End-of-Life Service by Astroscale demonstration. The mission consists of two spacecraft, a 175 kg ‘servicer’ and a 17 kg ‘client’.
This duo will be performing the demonstration like a game of the cat and mouse. The spacecraft will be commanded to separate and the client will be drifting freely.
On the other hand, the servicer will be chasing down the client with its advanced sensors and dock it successfully with its magnetic docking plate.
The process will repeat and showcase the intriguing complex process of rendezvous as the client will be tumbling without any proper direction.
Ultimately, the services will be commanded to get out of the orbit and burn up in the upper atmosphere.
Astroscale chief technical officer Mike Lindsay said, “The mission simulates a scenario where we would rendezvous with, and dock with, and capture a piece of debris that is free-floating in space.”
Glenda Bozeman – Business and Services
Glenda Bozeman writes Business articles for industries that want to see their Google search rankings surge. Her articles have appeared in a number of sites. Her articles focus on enlightening with informative Services sector needs. She holds the degree of Masters in Business and Marketing. Before she started writing, she experimented with various professions: computer programming, assistant marker, and others. But her favorite job is writing that she is now doing full-time.
