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UK RemoveDebris satellite carries out first ever trial of space waste removal

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A European group led by Surrey University's Surrey Space Centre has carried out the first ever successful demonstration of space waste removal technology.

Designed, built and manufactured by a consortium including Airbus, ArianeGroup and Airbus-subsidiary Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) the so-called RemoveDEBRIS satellite, used a specially developed net to capture a deployed target simulating a piece of space debris.

A video of the test taken by the satellite (below) shows the net being fired at, and successfully smothering, the simulated debris, which is tumbling through space around 10 metres away from the spacecraft. During the trials, the net is detached from the satellite. However, the ultimate vision is that it would remain attached so that the satellite could drag the waste out of orbit.

The device was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS), having launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in April 2018.

As previously reported by The Engineer, space debris is a growing problem, with an estimated 7,600 tonnes of ‘space junk’ orbiting the Earth and posing a risk to satellites and other spacecraft. RemoveDEBRIS is one of a number of efforts worldwide to develop technology to address this problem.

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