British Pioneers to Collect Scrap Metal in Space 0 7

A study conducted by researchers showed that a significant portion of these resources, including those made from very valuable and limited earthly supplies of lithium, neodymium, dysprosium, cobalt, nickel, and several other metals, can be returned to the planet or reused directly in space.

British researchers have urged the international community to accelerate the development of technologies that allow for the collection and reuse of components from satellites, launch vehicles, and crewed spacecraft, as well as to begin creating a legal framework for a closed "space economy." This will help slow down the further cluttering of orbit with space debris, the scientists write in an article in the scientific journal Chem Circularity.

"We need technological breakthroughs at all levels, starting with materials that could be recycled or reused in orbit, modular spacecraft that can be updated, and ending with AI systems that would allow us to track equipment wear in space. And most importantly, we need cooperation and legal norms that will encourage the collection and reuse of resources beyond Earth," said Professor Xuan Jin from the University of Surrey (UK), as reported by the journal's press service.

Current estimates by astronomers suggest that there are about 170 million pieces of space debris in Earth's orbit, resulting from the destruction of spent rocket stages and satellites. As early as 1978, NASA scientist Donald Kessler demonstrated that further accumulation of debris in near-Earth space would create conditions under which a collision between two such particles would trigger a kind of "chain reaction," leading to the destruction of all satellites.

Such considerations prompted British chemists to thoroughly investigate whether the space industry could be made safer and more efficient by applying the principles underlying a circular economy. To this end, scientists analyzed which materials and technologies used in the assembly, launch, and operation of satellites, launch vehicles, and crewed spacecraft could theoretically be reused in orbit or returned to Earth for recycling.

Research Findings

The analysis conducted by researchers showed that a significant portion of these resources, including those made from very valuable and limited earthly supplies of lithium, neodymium, dysprosium, cobalt, nickel, and several other metals, can be returned to the planet or reused directly in space. This will significantly slow down the formation of new pieces of space debris, about 30% of which comes from fragments of decommissioned satellites; however, a number of technical and legal challenges must be addressed.

In particular, engineers need to create specialized satellites and robots that will collect this debris for further recycling, while representatives of diplomatic agencies will have to expand and supplement the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and other international norms that currently do not provide for the collection of resources and their delivery to Earth by governmental or private entities. Solving these challenges by the global community will simultaneously reduce the cost of space technologies and protect civilization from the consequences of a potential collapse of the orbital grouping, the scientists concluded.