Abstract

A comprehensive plan for gathering and reusing space debris

Author(s): Lily Zheng

 The U.S. Space Surveillance Network estimates that there are currently 14,000 bits of debris larger than 10 cm in Earth's orbit. In addition, there are thousands more satellites used for diverse purposes. As time goes on, these satellites constitute space debris that could be hazardous. The daily operations of space-based applications, such as satellites used for weather forecasting, telecommunication, and global positioning systems, could be threatened by such accumulating objects that orbit the Earth at a very high speed (GPS). Future missions may also suffer if this continues unless the international space community weighs the risks and works together to reduce them. The various space agencies have so far simply made suggestions without taking many actions. Each suggestion addresses a particular kind of trash. In order to recycle the majority of the debris for use as a source of raw materials for building equipment that is utilised to maintain the International Space Station (ISS) and other equipment required by upcoming space missions and spacecraft, an integrated strategy is proposed in this study. The lack of room in the International Space Station (ISS), which housed several astronauts for more than two decades, may also be resolved by this concept. The international space agencies' collaborative projects might be used to put the proposed design into practise.