Artist's impression of ClearSpace satellite embracing the VESPA. Image credit: ClearSpace SA
Posted on 11/28/2020 8:56:14 PM PST by dayglored
No, really. It has signed a contract to make this happen in 2025
The European Space Agency has formalised its plan to dispose of space junk by using an orbiting claw to grab an old bit of rocket before dragging both the claw and the junk to a fiery doom.
The agency announced the plan in late 2019 when it revealed it had asked Swiss startup ClearSpace to fully scope the mission.
The paperwork was due in March and found favour with ESA's Ministerial Council, which has approved funding for an €86 million contract to fund the mission.
The goal remains the same: fly ClearSpace's junk-grabbing claw to intercept a VESPA (Vega Secondary Payload Adapter) that has orbited since the 2013 launch of an ESA Vega rocket.
Artist's impression of ClearSpace satellite embracing the VESPA. Image credit: ClearSpace SA
The Adapter weighs 112kg, which, ESA said, is close to the size of a small satellite. Once ClearSpace's claw grabs the lump of junk, they'll got on a hot date to the atmosphere. So hot that neither will survive the experience.
The hope is that even though the pair's short relationship ends badly, it will give humanity the chance to retrieve other unloved orbiting objects before they deal out bad break-ups to things humanity would like to remain in space.
ESA's announcement of the contract says its €86m will only cover some of the mission's cost. ClearSpace gets to raise the rest as it pursues its goal of becoming a space garbage collection business. ®
I think there would be plenty of time to react on the ground -- it probably takes days for a claw to match orbits and speeds and approach a target.
The Swiss wouldn’t do that.
Except maybe against Trump!
Richard Benjamin’s Space Ship Quark comes to life!
There was a short lived TV series about a space junk recycler. Late 70’s maybe early 80’s.
Salvage 1. With Andy Griffith.
“A fire breaks out aboard the Jupiter 2 and the Robinsons must land on a nearby planet to make repairs. They momentarily lose contact with the Robot, who has taken the space pod to scout ahead.
Upon landing, the family discovers the entire planet is a massive junkyard run by a strange metallic junkman who has no intention of letting the Robinsons leave.
When the ship’s food supply becomes contaminated by a “rust blight,” Dr. Smith bargains with the junkman for food, offering parts from the Robot to replace the junkman’s own degrading circuits.
The junkman eventually sets his sights on Jupiter 2, and after upgrading himself with the Robot’s parts, he steals the ship with Dr. Smith aboard and leaves the Robinsons behind.
Will follows in the space pod hoping the Robot’s memory banks, now part of the junkman, can influence a change of heart.”
Guest star: Marcel Hillaire (Junkman)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Lost_in_Space_episodes#Season_3_(1967%E2%80%9368)
How about a really big Roomba ?
Jettison Salvage wouldn’t have to go to the moon to bring back that stuff.
The galaxy ad inifinitum.
Part of a plot from Gerry Anderson’s UFO.
He eventually got the budget ok to clear space junk.
My son “flies” an array of satellites at NASA. He says that once in a while they have to adjust the orbit to evade collisions with random junk. His array is four units that fly in formation worth about a billion dollars each, so they take it kind of seriously.
That's extremely cool! In the 80's I designed attitude control system components for NASA (infrared sensors, electromagnetic torquers, reaction wheels, control electronics), which was great, but I never got to "fly" them. I was part of the team that did the big EM torquers on the Hubble, so at least I get to see them in photos. :-)
> His array is four units that fly in formation worth about a billion dollars each, so they take it kind of seriously.
Yes, I believe they do. Your son is very fortunate, please convey my regards.
The twins were awesome. Back in the days when cheesecake was legal.
They were former University of Kentucky cheerleaders back in the early 70’s. Daughters of UK great Dale Barnstable.
Nowadays they host the biggest Derby Eve party in Louisville...pre-Covid.
Commence Operation...Vacu-Suck!
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