RemoveDEBRIS launched from ISS to test ways to combat space junk

On Wednesday, June 20, 2018 the RemoveDEBRIS satellite was launched from the International Space Station on a mission to study the increasing amount of junk orbiting Earth. This morning’s flight marked a number of firsts to take place from the orbiting lab.

Produced by NanoRacks, RemoveDEBRIS is the largest satellite ever deployed from the ISS. The spacecraft was sent on its mission via aerospace firm’s Kaber Microsatellite Deployer (Kaber), and was the third microsatellite deployment for the commercial company.

RemoveDEBRIS took to the skies with the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 located in Florida. The CRS-14 Dragon was launched to the space station on April 2 of this year (2018).

“It’s wonderful to have helped facilitate this ground-breaking mission,” NanoRacks External Payloads Manager, Conor Brown stated in a company-issued release. “RemoveDEBRIS is demonstrating some extremely exciting active debris removal technologies that could have a major impact to how we manage space debris moving forward. This program is an excellent example of how small satellite capabilities have grown and how the Space Station can serve as a platform for missions of this scale. We’re all excited to see the results of the experiments and impact this project may have in the coming years.”

A coalition of research institutions and companies designed and built RemoveDEBRIS which included the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, and funded in part by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme. Via a release NanoRacks also stated that the coalition also included: Airbus, Ariane Group (France); Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (United Kingdom); Innovative Solutions In Space (Netherlands); CSEM (Switzerland); Inria (France); and Stellenbosch University (South Africa).

The Kaber deployment system can deploy microsatellites weighing up to 187 pounds (85 kilograms). Rather than being specifically-designed for any single system, Kaber can be deployed from Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Antares / Cygnus or SpaceX Falcon 9 / Dragon resupply vehicles.

The spacecraft is designed to perform four experiments its target will be a duo of CubeSats which are slated to be deployed from RemoveDEBRIS. These will serve as “targets” which RemoveDEBRIS will try and capture using a harpoon and net. CubeSats will be deployed from the primary satellite and will be “observed” via cameras as well as a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDar) system. The fourth experiment involves the use of a sail that should cause the spacecraft’s orbit to decay, eventually burning up in Earth’s atmosphere.

“The RemoveDebris mission, which captured the public’s imagination at the “Cleaning up space junk” exhibit at the Royal Society in London … is a world-class endeavour and opens the possibilities for future debris removal missions,” Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, a Royal Academy Research Chair in Space Engineering at the Surrey Space Centre, and Principal Investigator for the mission said. </s> A space debris removal technology mission called RemoveDEBRIS, led by the Surrey Space Centre (SSC), has been launched into orbit from the International Space Station (ISS).

To read this article, go to Air & Cosmos International. </s> Image copyright SSC Image caption Artwork: The RemoveDebris mission will trial the net method of capture

A UK-led project to showcase methods to tackle space junk has just been pushed out of the International Space Station.

The RemoveDebris satellite was ejected a short while ago with the help of a robotic arm.

The 100kg craft, built in Guildford, has a net and a harpoon.

These are just two of the multiple ideas currently being considered to snare rogue hardware, some 7,500 tonnes of which is now said to be circling the planet.

This material - old rocket parts and broken fragments of spacecraft - poses a collision hazard to operational satellites that deliver important services, such as telecommunications.

Image copyright SURREY SPACE CENTRE Image caption The Guildford control room watches the deployment on a live feed from the ISS

Image copyright NASA/NANORACKS Image caption Astronauts had been storing RemoveDebris since April

The £13m RemoveDebris spacecraft was taken to the ISS in April and stored onboard ahead of Wednesday's release.

The spacecraft was pushed out of an airlock where a robotic arm then picked it up gave it a gentle nudge down and away from the 400km-high lab.

In the process, RemoveDebris became the largest satellite to ever be deployed from the International Space Station. The time was about 12:35 BST.

Ground controllers in Guildford were hoping to pick up a signal from the spacecraft a couple of hours later as it passed over the UK.

"In the first month, month-and-a-half, we will spend our time checking the health of the satellite," said principal investigator Prof Guglielmo Aglietti from the Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey.

"Once we know all its systems are behaving properly - only then will we begin our experiments," he told BBC News.

RemoveDebris carries its own "junk" - two small "cubesats" that it will eject and then track. For one of these, the "mother" satellite will demonstrate the laser ranging (Lidar) and camera technology needed to monitor and characterise debris in orbit; for the the other cubesat, it will actually try to snare the object with a net.

There will also be a demonstration of a small harpoon.

For this, the RemoveDebris satellite will extend a boom with a target on the end. A sharp projectile will then be fired at the plate to learn more about how such devices move and impact a surface in micro-gravity.

At the end of its mission, RemoveDebris will endeavour to avoid becoming a piece of junk itself by deploying a large membrane.

This "sail" will increase the drag from air molecules high in the atmosphere and act to pull the satellite down to Earth much faster than would otherwise be the case.

Half the funding for RemoveDebris comes from the European Commission; the other half comes from the 10 companies and institutes that contributed technology - including Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, from where the mission will be overseen.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The junk hardware in orbit represents a collision hazard

Image caption The miniature harpoon to be tested on the mission

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos </s> A UK-led project to showcase methods to tackle space junk has just been pushed out of the International Space Station.

The RemoveDebris satellite was ejected a short while ago by astronauts using a giant robotic arm.

The 100kg craft, built in Guildford, has a net and a harpoon.

These are just two of the multiple ideas currently being considered to snare rogue hardware, some 7,500 tonnes of which is now said to be circling the planet.

This material - old rocket parts and broken fragments of spacecraft - poses a collision hazard to operational satellites that deliver important services, such as telecommunications.
• China space lab comes down over South Pacific
• Old satellites will need 'rapid disposal'

The £13m RemoveDebris spacecraft was taken to the ISS in April and stored onboard ahead of Wednesday's release.

The station's 17m-long Canadarm2 was used to retrieve the demonstrator from an airlock. The robotic appendage then gave RemoveDebris a gentle nudge that took it down and away from the 400km-high lab.

Ground controllers in Guildford were due to pick up a signal from the satellite a couple of hours later as it passed over the UK.

"In the first month, month-and-a-half, we will spend our time checking the health of the satellite," said principal investigator Prof Guglielmo Aglietti from the Surrey Space Centre.

"Once we know all its systems are behaving properly - only then will we begin our experiments," he told BBC News.

RemoveDebris carries its own "junk" - two small "cubesats" that it will eject and then track. For one of these, the "mother" satellite will demonstrate the laser ranging (Lidar) and camera technology needed to monitor and characterise debris in orbit; for the the other cubesat, it will actually try to snare the object with a net.

There will also be a demonstration of a small harpoon.

For this, the RemoveDebris satellite will extend a boom with a target on the end. A sharp projectile will then be fired at the plate to learn more about how such devices move and impact a surface in micro-gravity.

At the end of its mission, RemoveDebris will endeavour to avoid becoming a piece of junk itself by deploying a large membrane.

This "sail" will increase the drag from air molecules high in the atmosphere and act to pull the satellite down to Earth much faster than would otherwise be the case.

Half the funding for RemoveDebris comes from the European Commission; the other half comes from the 10 companies and institutes that contributed technology - including Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, from where the mission will be overseen.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos </s> In the cargo hold is a UK-built satellite that will test different approaches to removing space junk from the Earth’s orbit, as well as an international science package to study powerful lightning from space.

Led by the University of Surrey, built by the world’s leading small satellite manufacturer Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, and with technology on board designed by Airbus, the RemoveDEBRIS mission will experiment with cost effective technologies that could be used to tackle the problem of space junk.

“Space debris is one of the key challenges we face and it’s great to see a British university and some of our innovative space companies leading the way on the search for solutions. It’s also a fantastic example of the unique expertise found in the UK’s growing space sector and the value that it adds to international projects.

“The UK Space Agency continues to work closely with industry to develop new technologies and infrastructure to grow our share of the global space market as part of the Government’s industrial strategy.”

The RemoveDEBRIS satellite will be deployed from the International Space Station and attempt to capture simulated space debris using a net and a harpoon, while also testing advanced cameras and radar systems. Once those experiments are complete, it will unfurl a drag sail to bring itself and the debris out of orbit, where it will burn up as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere.

The experiment is important as there are thousands of pieces of space debris circulating the planet – many travelling faster than a speeding bullet – posing a risk to valuable satellites and even the International Space Station itself.

Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, Director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said:

“It is important to remember that a few significant collisions have already happened. Therefore, to maintain the safety of current and future space assets, the issue of the control and reduction of the space debris has to be addressed.

“We believe the technologies we will be demonstrating with RemoveDEBRIS could provide feasible answers to the space junk problem – answers that could be used on future space missions in the very near future.”

Also on board the SpaceX Dragon capsule is a science experiment known as the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM), which will study high-altitude lightning above severe thunder storms. Scientists are interested in these electrical discharges which can produce bright colours – sometimes called red sprites and blue jets – as they can alter the chemistry of the stratosphere and potentially affect the Earth’s climate. ASIM is travelling to the International Space Station in the trunk compartment of the Dragon capsule. Once it arrives, the station’s robotic arm will transfer the payload from the capsule to the external payload facility on the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Columbus module.

Dr Martin Fullekrug, the lead UK scientist on the project based at the University of Bath, said:

“I have been researching and investigating space and lightning events for over 15 years and the launch of ASIM feels like the pinnacle of my journey into understanding this phenomenon.

“This is the first time such a detailed and technologically-advanced measurement device will be flown into space to observe lightning and will hopefully provide us with new knowledge about how lightning is initiated and how the properties of lightning can affect our daily lives in so many different ways.”

The experiment, part funded by the UK Space Agency through our investment in ESA and built by the Danish company Terma, will be operated by ESA with involvement from scientists in the UK.

Dr Graham Turnock, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency said:

“This experiment will give scientists all over the world the opportunity to study the effects of powerful lightning storms from the unique vantage point of the International Space Station. It’s another exciting moment for international space collaboration and commercial spaceflight, which the UK Space Agency supports through the Government’s Industrial Strategy.” </s> A British-led mission demonstrating how to salvage potentially dangerous junk orbiting the Earth has successfully launched.

The blast off came less than a day after a Chinese space station broke up over the Pacific.

The RemoveDEBRIS satellite, to be deployed from the International Space Station (ISS), will carry a net for capturing space litter and a harpoon that can spear and haul in larger objects.

A Space X Falcon 9 rocket carrying the box-like craft took off from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida at 9.30pm UK time on Monday.

RemoveDEBRIS is now on board a capsule heading for the ISS, where it is due to arrive on Wednesday morning.

It is designed and built by a consortium led by the University of Surrey and funded by the European Commission, and is the first practical attempt to try out clean-up technology.

The fiery demise of the Chinese space lab Tiangong-1 was a timely reminder of the growing hazard of space junk.

The defunct 10.4 metre long space craft, weighing 8.5 tonnes, re-entered the atmosphere at around 01.15 on Monday.

According to official reports it mostly broke up harmlessly above the South Pacific, but there is uncertainty about its precise fate.

Astronomer Jonathan McDowell, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in the US, tweeted that it appeared to have come down north-west of Tahiti.

Nasa tracks more than 20,000 pieces of debris larger than a cricket ball orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500mph.

There are an estimated 500,000 pieces the size of a marble or larger.

Although the chances are low, a collision between even a small object and a space craft carrying valuable equipment or a human crew would be disastrous.

On February 10 2009, a clapped-out Russian satellite collided with and destroyed the functioning Iridium communications satellite.

That collision added more than 2,000 extra pieces of trackable debris to the growing space junk inventory.

Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said: “It is important to remember that a few significant collisions have already happened.

“Therefore, to maintain the safety of current and future space assets, the issue of the control and reduction of the space debris has to be addressed.

“We believe the technologies we will be demonstrating with RemoveDEBRIS could provide feasible answers to the space junk problem – answers that could be used on future space missions in the very near future.”

In the first of a series of capture experiments, a net will be discharged to wrap around and ensnare a target CubeSat miniature satellite.

A second experiment will see a harpoon fired at a target plate.

Other tests of navigation and a large drag sail designed to slow down the RemoveDEBRIS space craft as it falls out of orbit, ensuring it burns up on re-entry, will also be carried out.

Science minister Sam Gyimah said: “Space debris is a growing concern so it’s great to see a British university and our innovative space sector leading the way in the search for solutions.” </s> A British-led mission to solve the dangers of space junk orbiting the Earth has been successfully launched.

The RemoveDEBRIS satellite is set to be deployed from the International Space Station and will carry a net for capturing space rubbish and a harpoon that can haul in larger objects.

It took off on board a Space X Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Monday evening.

The venture coincides with the Chinese space station Tiangong-1 crashing back down to Earth and landing in the South Pacific on Monday morning.

Nasa tracks more than 20,000 pieces of debris larger than a cricket ball orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500 mph. An estimated 500,000 pieces are the size of marble or larger.

A collision between a space craft and an object even as small as a marble could be disastrous.

Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said: "It is important to remember that a few significant collisions have already happened.

"We believe the technologies we will be demonstrating with RemoveDEBRIS could provide feasible answers to the space junk problem - answers that could be used on future space missions in the very near future." </s> A British-led mission demonstrating how to salvage potentially dangerous junk orbiting the Earth is set for launch less than a day after a Chinese space station broke up over the Pacific.

The RemoveDEBRIS satellite, to be deployed from the International Space Station (ISS), will carry a net for capturing space litter and a harpoon that can be used to spear and haul in larger objects.

A Space X Falcon 9 rocket is waiting to deliver the box-like craft to the ISS from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Blast off is currently due to take place at 9.30pm UK time (4.30 pm local) on Monday April 2.

The fiery demise of the Chinese space lab Tiangong-1 was a timely reminder of the growing hazard of space junk.

The defunct 10.4 metre long space craft, weighing 8.5 tonnes, re-entered the atmosphere at around 01.15 BST on Monday.

According to official reports it mostly broke up harmlessly above the South Pacific, but there is uncertainty about its precise fate.

Astronomer Jonathan McDowell, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in the US, tweeted that it appeared to have come down north-west of Tahiti.

Nasa tracks more than 20,000 pieces of debris larger than a cricket ball orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500mph. There are an estimated 500,000 pieces the size of a marble or larger.

Although the chances are low, a collision between even a small object and a space craft carrying valuable equipment or a human crew would be disastrous.

In 1996, a French satellite was hit and damaged by debris from a French rocket that exploded a decade earlier.

On February 10 2009, a clapped-out Russian satellite collided with and destroyed the functioning Iridium communications satellite. That collision added more than 2,000 extra pieces of trackable debris to the growing space junk inventory.

RemoveDEBRIS, designed and built by a consortium led by the University of Surrey and funded by the European Commission, is the first practical attempt to try out clean-up technology aimed at tackling the problem.

Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said: “It is important to remember that a few significant collisions have already happened.

Therefore, to maintain the safety of current and future space assets, the issue of the control and reduction of the space debris has to be addressed.

“We believe the technologies we will be demonstrating with RemoveDEBRIS could provide feasible answers to the space junk problem – answers that could be used on future space missions in the very near future.”

In the first of a series of capture experiments, a net will be discharged to wrap around and ensnare a target cubesat miniature satellite.

A second experiment will see a harpoon fired at a target plate. Other tests of navigation and a large drag sail designed to slow down the RemoveDEBRIS space craft as it falls out of orbit, ensuring it burns up on re-entry, will also be carried out.

Science minister Sam Gyimah said: “Space debris is a growing concern so it’s great to see a British university and our innovative space sector leading the way in the search for solutions.” </s> Get the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email

An experimental space hoover, partly developed by the University of Surrey , has reached the International Space Station (ISS) on its mission to clean up space.

The RemoveDEBRIS satellite, designed and manufactured by a consortium led by the university , was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on April 2. It is intended to show how space junk might be removed from the Earth's orbit, clearing the way for future missions.

Once it is released from the ISS later in April 2018, RemoveDEBRIS will use a net and a harpoon to snare pieces of space junk before returning to Earth and burning up in the atmosphere. Researchers hope this will prove a cost-effective way of tackling space debris.

The European Space Agency (ESA) estimated in 2013 that there were more than 170 million pieces of debris larger than 1mm across, 670,000 pieces larger than 1cm and around 29,000 pieces larger than 10cm.

Some of the junk, the debris of previous space missions, orbits the Earth at speeds of almost 30,000 miles per hour.

For comparison, the average bullet travels at just 1,700mph, making some of this space junk a serious safety concern that could make it impossible to leave Earth if the risk of collision becomes too great.

According to the ESA, a piece of debris even 1mm across could destroy sub-systems on board a spacecraft, whereas a piece 1cm across would be enough to disable spacecraft. Collision with a 10cm-diametre object would be catastrophic.

Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said: "It is important to remember that a few significant collisions have already happened.

"Therefore, to maintain the safety of current and future space assets, the issue of the control and reduction of space debris has to be addressed.

"We believe the technologies we will be demonstrating with RemoveDEBRIS could provide feasible answers to the space junk problem - answers that could be used on future space missions in the very near future."

In 2016, the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1A satellite was hit by a millimetre-sized piece of debris, which left a dent of about 10cm in one of the satellite's solar panels. Another collision occurred in 2007, when some debris blew a bullet-like hole in the radiator panel of the space shuttle Endeavour.

(Image: Max Alexander/SSTL)

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The International Space Station (ISS) successfully deploys the UK-led RemoveDEBRIS satellite, which is designed to test the removal of space debris in low Earth orbit. At 100 kg (220 lb), RemoveDEBRIS is the biggest satellite deployed from the ISS.