As of: March 12, 2024, 12:56 p.m
By: Kilian Bäuml
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There are thousands of tons of space debris in Earth's orbit that could hit Earth at any time.
A space probe could soon collect them.
Munich - Space is still a largely unexplored space and rockets are constantly being sent out to investigate it.
In the past decades, a lot has been learned about the universe. In 2024, for example, the moon will be the focus of space travel.
But the probes and rockets in space have a catch because they leave behind rubbish in Earth's orbit.
It was only recently expected that space debris from the ISS could hit Earth - an event that could happen again in the future.
A new mission will now investigate how space debris can be collected.
There are more than 9,000 tons of space debris in Earth orbit.
Almost half a million pieces are said to be only about a centimeter in size, but 23,000 pieces are said to be larger.
There are even discarded parts in space from the 80s and 90s that weigh several tons.
And at any moment one of these pieces could hit the earth, writes
Heise.de
.
“I expect there will be a collision between them at some point,” said Hugh Lewis, a space debris expert at the University of Southampton in Britain.
The Earth is surrounded by thousands of tons of space debris.
© ESA/dpa
Thousands of tons of space debris in Earth orbit: Japanese probe is supposed to examine rocket stage
So far, the space debris has not been able to be removed, but a Japanese space probe could soon be used to do so.
Not the only ambitious project, as Japan also wants to send a wooden satellite into space.
That is the task of ADRAS-J
The ADRAS-J spacecraft was selected by the Japanese Aerospace Agency (JAXA) for the first phase of a project to explore how to dispose of space debris.
To do this, data is being collected to improve understanding of space debris, writes
astroscale.com
.
ADRAS-J launched on Sunday, February 18, 2024 and is intended to approach a decommissioned Japanese rocket stage.
The inspection is scheduled to be completed in April.
The probe is heading for the upper stage of a Japanese H-IIA rocket, which has been in space since 2009 and is unmanned.
It orbits the earth at an altitude of around 600 kilometers, reports
Heise
.
The probe can approach the disused rocket stage within a few meters and is intended to examine whether it is still complete or whether parts have already come loose.
In the future, the aim is to use the probe to find out how space debris can be brought back into the atmosphere.
“Debris bombs” in space: In the future, the removal of space debris will become mandatory
Because of the danger posed by space debris, the planned project is becoming increasingly important.
"We have these 'debris bombs' just waiting to hit," says Michelle Hanlon, a space lawyer at the University of Mississippi.
A meeting could really happen at any time, writes
Heise
.
“There’s so much stuff out there,” agrees Lewis.
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In the worst case, this could cause a chain reaction that creates many smaller pieces of debris - which could make manned space travel significantly more risky.
If debris is not collected, you would have to wait until it falls back into the atmosphere and burns up on its own - but that can take decades.
That's why there have already been attempts to remove space debris, including from the USA.
In the future, the removal of space debris will be given more and more priority.
Holger Krag, head of the Esa office for space debris in Germany, says: “For missions after 2030, Esa plans to make active removal mandatory.” (kiba)