Experts May Have A Solution For Dealing With The Massive Amount Of Space Debris

Space is the latest avenue for commercialization. For years, satellites that handle communication, exploration, and scientific experiments were the main inhabitants. But over the past decade, with the surge in the number of private space launches — and companies attempting everything from beaming sunlight and building AI data centers — space debris has become a pressing problem. Numerous academic institutions and space agencies have proposed ideas to combat the challenge, but so far, none of the ideas have found mass deployment or success. 

Now, a team of scientists is pushing a rather novel solution. Instead of an orbital sweep for junk, the team wants to use the discarded parts to make new satellites and spacecraft in space. Or, in technical terms, in-orbit repair and end-of-life repurposing. 

If that sounds familiar, well, that's because scientists are essentially trying to replicate the well-known principle of reduce, reuse, and recycle. In a research paper published in the Chem Circularity journal, experts are pushing the idea of a circular space economy. In the simplest terms, whatever material is discarded as a result of launch missions or retired from operational duty can be captured and repurposed for new infrastructure. Just to be clear, the proposal doesn't entail using the existing pool of post-launch debris floating in Earth's orbit. Instead, the team is proposing an end-to-end solution for future missions. That means modifying the current design principles and engineering to ensure that when a space mission leaves behind parts, or a satellite is retired, the parts can be salvaged and go into building fresh space infrastructure. But to achieve the vision, a fundamental rethinking is required.

The reduce-reuse-recycle concept proposed by scientists almost sounds like a science fiction film in which massive ships and floating orbital settlements have been abandoned, eventually becoming a target for salvaged parts. To begin with, special attention must be paid to enhance the durability and repairability of future space missions. Think of it in the same vein as a phone's discarded battery or engine parts, which are meticulously taken apart to extract valuable materials, which subsequently go into making new units. 

The whole idea is to reduce the wastage of materials and not contribute to the e-waste heap. Earth's immediate orbital space is at risk of turning into one such floating junkyard. In the absence of effective solutions to clean it up, the best way forward is to cut down on the dumping in an orbital graveyard and use it instead to make new machines.

"We need innovation at every level, from materials that can be reused or recycled in orbit and modular spacecraft that can be upgraded instead of discarded, to data systems that track how hardware ages in space," Jin Xuan, senior author of the paper, was quoted as saying. Aside from changing how individual parts are designed, scientists behind the novel idea are also hoping that space stations can be turned into refueling and recycling hubs. Doing so will reduce the number of launch missions from Earth, which, in turn, would cut down on debris generation. Going a step further, the experts propose that instead of making all satellites here on Earth, floating space stations should handle a share of the satellite assembly process. A crucial challenge would be the capture of the discarded material. To that end, the experts mention that giant space nets and robotic arms can come in handy.