0

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

There’s plenty of junk in space, and if it can be turned into fuel then it will kill two birds with one stone.

 

Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and trendsconnect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog.

First, we heard about a startup that can turn plastic waste in the oceans and use it to power the ships that are helping clean up the oceans, and now in a similar move but in an all together different theatre an Australian company, which is part of an international effort, has announced plans that they’re going to be recycling dangerous space junk into rocket fuel – in space.

 

RELATED
Bomb sniffing UAV's can thwart terrorist bombs

 

For aerospace companies this seems like a win win – get rid of space junk which threatens the future of space travel and solve the problem of satellites and space vehicles falling out off the sky when they run out of fuel. It also comes hot on the heels of the launch of the first gas station in orbit.

The orbit our planet depends on is getting clogged with debris from old spacecraft. Dead satellites and spent rocket parts are whizzing around at speeds of up to 28,000 kilometres an hour, posing a threat to communications satellites and the International Space Station (ISS).

At those speeds, even a small screw or a fleck of paint poses a risk to facilities such as the ISS, as well as the humans in them.

 

RELATED
Scientists demonstrate direct human brain to brain communication again

 

The other week Russia fired a missile and destroyed one of its own satellites, sending debris flying. The US said that debris now “threatens the interests of all nations.” The worst-case scenario is cascading collisions between smaller and smaller bits of space junk until orbits become unusable, a situation known as the Kessler Effect.

In response to this South Australian company Neumann Space has developed an “in-space electric propulsion system” that can be used in low Earth orbit to extend the missions of spacecraft, move satellites, or de-orbit them. And now Neumann is working on a plan with three other companies to turn space junk into fuel for that propulsion system.

Japanese start-up Astroscale has already demonstrated how it can use satellites to capture bits of debris in space.

 

RELATED
Firms line up Green Ammonia as a future zero emission fuel for aviation and shipping

 

Nanorocks, in the US, is working on a plan using advanced robotics to store and cut up that debris while it is still in orbit, and yet another US company, Cislunar, is developing a space foundry to melt debris into metal rods. And Neumann Space’s propulsion system can use those metal rods as fuel – their system ionises the metal which then creates thrust to move objects around orbit.

Chief executive officer Herve Astier said when Neumann was approached to be part of a supply chain to melt metal in space, he thought it was a futuristic plan, and would not be “as easy as it looks.”

“But they got a grant from NASA so we built a prototype and it works,” he said.

 

RELATED
Iceland drills worlds deepest well to tap energy from rivers of magma

 

“We did a live technology demonstration. One can grab a piece of debris, one can cut the debris open, one can melt the debris, and we can use that,” he added.

Once objects are sent into orbit, they can be there forever unless they float out of orbit and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere or occasionally hit Earth’s surface. As the space junk problem worsens, institutions around the world are trying to come up with solutions, from magnets to “space claws” to harpoons, and Australian researchers are also working on the problem.

Meanwhile Saber Astronautics has won another NASA grant to develop a drag sail, which will launch from a spacecraft at the end of its life and drag it out of orbit.

 

RELATED
Technology and the future of privacy

 

Sydney’s Electro Optic Systems, working with the University of Canberra, has developed laser technology that can nudge junk away from potential collisions, or towards the atmosphere.

The Australian Institute of Machine Learning has a grant to improve detection and tracking of debris, and a new surveillance radar in Western Australia will help with that too.

Recycling the junk, instead of capturing it or destroying it, is another dimension again. Astier says it is still futuristic, but now he can see that it’s possible.

“A lot of people are putting money into debris. Often it’s to take it down into the atmosphere and burn it up. But if it’s there and you can capture it and reuse it, it makes sense from a business perspective, because you’re not shipping it up there,” he said. “It’s like developing a gas station in space.”

About author

Matthew Griffin

Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the World Futures Forum and the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working between the dates of 2020 to 2070, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future” series. Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, RT, Viacom, and WIRED, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future. A rare talent Matthew’s recent work includes mentoring Lunar XPrize teams, re-envisioning global education and training with the G20, and helping the world’s largest organisations envision and ideate the future of their products and services, industries, and countries. Matthew's clients include three Prime Ministers and several governments, including the G7, Accenture, Aon, Bain & Co, BCG, Credit Suisse, Dell EMC, Dentons, Deloitte, E&Y, GEMS, Huawei, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Lego, McKinsey, PWC, Qualcomm, SAP, Samsung, Sopra Steria, T-Mobile, and many more.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *