Submission + - Sad news from JAXA's de-orbiting cable system
rickyslashdot writes: The theory of using the earth's electro-magnetic field to provide deceleration to orbital debris failed when JAXA's satellite was unable to extend it's cable. Because of the short period of time available for this test, there wasn't sufficient time for JAXA's ground specialists to resolve the un-spooling failure, and the craft re-entered burn-up without providing any useful information on whether the de-orbiting process was feasible.
https://www.newscientist.com/a...
Although this process of orbital velocity alteration/deceleration appears sound, it lost it's current chance to prove this ability to alter altitude and orbital velocity because of a glitch that prevented the 'long wire' electromotive element from deploying.
Because of the simplicity of this system, it is bound to be tested again — hopefully sooner than later.
If proven successful in later tests, it will mean that de-orbiting 'junk' can be done by attaching a 'long-wire' tether to the junk, and just waiting for physics to take the junk from orbit to atmospheric burn-up.
This process is inherently safer than using rocket engines (to be attached to the junk), and is much less of a 'mass-to-orbit' cost, since it only requires a grappling system, and a spool of wire/cable. The cable does NOT have to be structurally strong, as it is only used to provide an electro-magnet dynamic drag on the attached 'junk'.
Additionally, it effectively de-orbits the complete chunk of 'debris' without the problems involved with kinetic nets that would tend to fragment, or shatter, portions of the junk while reducing it's orbital velocity enough to bring it down. Even the tiniest piece of left-over debris that could be released from the 'capture-net' system could still prove a real problem, since these tiny pieces are realistically impossible to track, and can cause real damage due to their relative velocitiy in respect to orbiting spacecraft.
Hopefully, there will be a follow-up / re-try in the near future for this orbital debris clean-up process.
https://www.newscientist.com/a...
Although this process of orbital velocity alteration/deceleration appears sound, it lost it's current chance to prove this ability to alter altitude and orbital velocity because of a glitch that prevented the 'long wire' electromotive element from deploying.
Because of the simplicity of this system, it is bound to be tested again — hopefully sooner than later.
If proven successful in later tests, it will mean that de-orbiting 'junk' can be done by attaching a 'long-wire' tether to the junk, and just waiting for physics to take the junk from orbit to atmospheric burn-up.
This process is inherently safer than using rocket engines (to be attached to the junk), and is much less of a 'mass-to-orbit' cost, since it only requires a grappling system, and a spool of wire/cable. The cable does NOT have to be structurally strong, as it is only used to provide an electro-magnet dynamic drag on the attached 'junk'.
Additionally, it effectively de-orbits the complete chunk of 'debris' without the problems involved with kinetic nets that would tend to fragment, or shatter, portions of the junk while reducing it's orbital velocity enough to bring it down. Even the tiniest piece of left-over debris that could be released from the 'capture-net' system could still prove a real problem, since these tiny pieces are realistically impossible to track, and can cause real damage due to their relative velocitiy in respect to orbiting spacecraft.
Hopefully, there will be a follow-up / re-try in the near future for this orbital debris clean-up process.
