Expired satellites of different sizes, remains of other satellites that crashed after ending their missions, and other pieces of metal lost in space, have formed a layer of "space debris" orbiting the Earth. Scientists warn it could cause a disaster if it hit an operating satellite, or strike the International Space Station, and with time, those debris are expected to threaten the safety of space flights in general.
As part of efforts to counter this phenomenon, Russian Space Systems (RSS) announced a new satellite, the "destructive hunter" aimed at recycling the debris after catching it.
Engineer Marina Barkova said the new satellite can "devour" disabled satellites in the orbit. It is equipped with a "trap" (a net in the form of a cupola and a cone) as well as a waste management system.
"After being trapped, the space debris will be fragmented by a special grinder. Then, the grinded debris will be combined with oxygen and hydrogen and converted into fuel used by the destroying satellite to maneuver, catch, and manage other debris,” said Barkova.
The lunar weight of the "destructive hunter" is over 2.5 tons, and during one cycle it can "fragment" and "recycle" half a ton of space junk. The initial cost of its manufacture is estimated at 7.5 billion Russian rubles.
According to NASA's data, the space contains more than 14,000 pieces of satellite remains.
The European Conference held in 2017 to discuss the "space junk" problem stated that around 750, 000 objects larger than 1 cm each, as well as 166 million pieces larger than one millimeter are orbiting the Earth with a speed of 10 kilometers per second compared to other space bodies. This means that if a piece hit any satellite or a space station, it can cause serious damage, and may disable it.
