Australia announced that it is planning to turn space junk into fuel, specifically power the country's in-space electric propulsion system.
383927 03: FILE PHOTO: STS-79 astronauts enjoy this view of the Mir complex backdropped against the blackness of space over Earth's horizon. A thin blue line of airglow runs parallel with Earth's horizon, September 24, 1996. Mir is nearing the end of its existence as Russia plans to steer the craft out of orbit in late February 2001 in a controlled crash to dump the space station safely into the Pacific Ocean.
Related Article: SpaceX, NASA DART to Crash Spacecraft to Asteroid to Change its Course; Elon Musk Reacts with Meme
This is a great initiative since debris, such as dead rockets and other unusable spaceship parts, are floating outside Earth. Right now, various government-backed agencies and independent space companies are making huge efforts to reduce the junk orbiting the planet.
On the other hand, some experts also warned that the debris in outer space could further increase, given that many space agencies are also continuously launching their satellites to offer their own services.
Recently, TechTimes reported that a Russian anti-satellite missile destroyed an old rocket of the country. After the test was successful, researchers said that the remaining debris of the dead spaceship could also add up to the current space junk in orbit.
Australia to Make Space Junk as Fuel
According to Gadgets 360's latest report, Neumann Space, an Australian space agency, announced that it would work with three firms to transform space debris into fuel.
This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) handout image shows a graphical representation of space debris in low Earth orbit. According to the European Space Agency there are 8,500 objects larger than 10 cm (approximately 3.9 inches) orbiting the earth and 150,000 larger than 1 cm (approximately 0.39 inches). NASA investigators are looking into the possibility that space debris.
The agency added that the generated fuel from the space junk would power its electric propulsion system. On the other hand, Neumann Space would also work with Astroscale, a Japanese startup developing satellites to capture the floating debris outside Earth.
Nanorocks, an American tech firm, would also help the Australian space agency. It would provide its robots that can cut and store space debris. If you want to see more details, you can visit this link.
Australia's Space Junk Solution Comparable to Gas Station
The Guardian reported that Australia's new space junk solution would work just like a gas station. Neumann Space Chief Executive Officer, Herve Astier, explained that most companies are currently trying to destroy and burn the dead rockets and the unusable parts.
He added that they are making this method the main solution for the rising space debris outside the planet.
"But if it's there and you can capture it and reuse it, it makes sense from a business perspective, because you're not shipping it up there," added the company's CFO.
In other news, SpaceX Starship rockets would soon be used to build Mars Base Alpha.
For more news updates about space junk and other similar topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
This article is owned by TechTimes
Written by: Griffin Davis
