The spacecraft was launched from the ISS to collect space debris

The other day, news agencies reported that the orbit of the International Space Station was successfully adjusted for further maneuvers. The start of this event was postponed due to the risk of collision with space debris, but the altitude of the ISS orbit as a result was safely increased by 700 meters. Perhaps in the near-Earth space it will soon be easier to fly, because a new device will go into orbit, which will collect garbage.

The problem of spent parts of spacecraft, the exact amount of which is no longer countable, has long haunted scientists. Indeed, since the first launch of an artificial satellite in orbit, so many unnecessary objects have accumulated that they pose a real threat to the current work and further development of the entire space industry.

British engineers, together with Airbus, created a spacecraft that aims to improve the situation in orbit and reduce the amount of space debris. The probe was released into near-Earth space from the ISS last week and is still in test mode. It is planned that over the next 6 months the device will be ready for testing, and after all the systems are set up, a test check will be carried out, as a result of which the probe will have to catch space debris samples. For these purposes, the device is equipped with a laser radar and a special network. In addition, the “space cleaner” itself will launch two training objects into orbit and try to catch them. If the operation is successful, the device must leave orbit and burn in dense layers of the atmosphere.

By the beginning of 2019, it will become clear whether the new invention coped with the task or the project requires modernization. But in any case, the launch of this device can be considered the beginning of a new stage in the development of near-Earth space.