Engineering news
Launched earlier this year by a consortium led by Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, the RemoveDebris satellite used a net to capture a target simulating a piece of space debris last Sunday (16 September).
The satellite, which was built by partners including Surrey Satellite Technology and Airbus, also has a harpoon on board to catch fragments of obsolete spacecraft. There are estimated to be more than 7,600 tonnes of space junk in orbit, with the potential to jeopardise current and future satellites and space missions.
“Nobody has ever tested a net or a harpoon in space before for these purposes,” former RemoveDebris engineer Jason Forshaw told Professional Engineering previously. “We have tested the net and the harpoon to death, but you can’t get the real environment on the ground.”
Surrey Space Centre director, Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the outcome of the net technology. While it might sound like a simple idea, the complexity of using a net in space to capture a piece of debris took many years of planning, engineering and coordination between the Surrey Space Centre, Airbus and our partners – but there is more work to be done. These are very exciting times for us all.”
The consortium spent six years testing the net technology, using drop towers and parabolic flights to simulate zero-gravity, as well as thermal vacuum chambers.
In the coming months the satellite will test more technology, including a vision-based navigation system that uses cameras and lidar to analyse potential pieces of debris, the harpoon, and a ‘drag sail’ to re-enter the atmosphere and burn up to complete the mission.
Watch a video of the test here.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.