Rethinking Space Junk: Strategies for Addressing Satellite Overload

• Earth's orbit contains over 2,700 dead satellites and thousands of debris fragments, threatening essential spacecraft and satellite infrastructure.
• EU-funded initiatives DEXTER and ALBATOR are testing novel ways to mitigate space debris by either recycling materials in space or removing hazardous fragments.

DEXTER: Salvaging and Recycling in Orbit

• Led by Leonard Felicetti at Cranfield University, the project explores dismantling old satellites to reuse materials in orbit.
• Researchers are developing robotic arms and lasers to disassemble defunct satellites.
• Proposed applications include using recovered metal for rigid frameworks or converting aluminum into plasma for ion thruster fuel.

ALBATOR: Removing Tiny Fragments

• Led by French startup OSMOS X, this project focuses on cleaning up small debris fragments, which are too numerous to capture individually.
• The team is developing an "ion blower" to nudge debris back into Earth's atmosphere, where it will burn upon re-entry.
• This aims to prevent the Kessler syndrome, a cascade effect where satellite collisions generate increasingly more debris.
• Vacuum chamber experiments are scheduled for 2027 in Germany, ahead of planned space missions.