NASA came up with a bag for collecting space debris – Kommersant
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NASA signed a contract with the startup TransAstra to create a prototype of a large inflatable bag for collecting space debris in orbit. The contract value was $850 thousand, the spacecraft called TransAstra Worker Bee (“Worker bee”) will be able to capture fragments of debris weighing up to 50 thousand tons.
The device was developed to intercept near-Earth asteroids and their subsequent transportation to the Moon’s orbit for study and mining. However, TransAstra has come up with another way to use the new technology – to capture space debris. The device has two ways of capturing objects – either using a bag like a net, or using rigid manipulators. The diameter of the device is 37 m, and the volume is 4 thousand cubic meters. m.
Another company, ThinkOrbital, in cooperation with TransAstra is considering the idea of building an orbital space debris processing plant. According to them, this will reduce garbage collection time by 40% and reduce fuel costs by 82%.
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