The satellite, "RemoveDebris" of the company, "SuriSpace" US to pick up a piece of space debris successfully in the first test of his trial.
The satellite has deployed its network to capture a target like a piece of space debris that is swimming in space while in orbit more than 300 kilometers above ground (most of the real space debris is between 800-850 km above ground).
"It may seem like a simple idea, but the complexity of using a space network to capture a piece of debris took years of planning, engineering and coordination between the Surrey Space Center and Airbus and our partners, but there is still more," said Professor Guglielmo Agletti, director of the Surrey Space Center. From work, these are very exciting times for all of us. "
The US space surveillance network now tracks about 40,000 pieces of space scrap around the earth. Some pieces run at speeds of approximately 48,300 km / h, posing a high risk in the event of a collision with satellites.
In the coming months, Rimoff Debris will test more space-based waste collection techniques, including a vision-based navigation system that uses cameras specifically designed to analyze and control potential pieces of litter, and a sophisticated space-based capture system.