In one of the macrocosm ’s first attack to clean up space , a new orbiter designed under theRemoveDEBRISprogram is using its harpoon - seizure organization to take on the grow trouble of quad drivel .

The slow - movement video shows the harpoon chemical mechanism stab through a piece of space scraps and successfully retract it into its organisation . Designed by Airbus Stevenage , the harpoon is fabricate of a 1.5 - beat ( 95 - substructure ) boom deploy from the RemoveDEBRIS spacecraft with a planet panel on the death . The harpoon can speed at a target   at 20 meters ( 66 feet ) per second so as to penetrate and capture debris .

“ This is RemoveDEBRIS ’ most demanding experiment and the fact that it was a succeeder is [ a ] testament to all demand . The RemoveDEBRIS projection provides strong grounds of what can be accomplish with the office of collaboration – pooling together the experience across industriousness and the enquiry field to achieve something truly singular , ” say Guglielmo Aglietti , director of the Surrey Space Center , in astatement .

It is the third successful experiment of the project . They previously showed   their power to capture asimulated piece of detritus , and then   successfully identify space ice with their   LiDAR andcamera - based visual modality navigation system . Altogether , the project place to harness the ongoing issue of space garbage , with a exceptional focal point on larger target , such as satellites .

“ Successful in - outer space demonstration of the harpoon technology is a significant step towards solving the mature outcome of space debris,”saidChris Burgess , harpoon trail railroad engineer at Airbus Defence and Space .

All of the   debris in   Earth ’s area isestimatedto   weigh more than 8,400 tonnes ( including bantam sherd ) . Because they can   travel at speeds of up to 48,000 kilometers ( 30,000 miles ) per hour , pieces of blank debris are fast enough to damage ballistic capsule and satellites , potentially wiping out communication organization . In2009 , a US satellite smash into a Russian communications orbiter . Though the planet was motionless , the collision resulted in thousands of newfangled patch of quad shrapnel .

The last experimentation is set to take position at the oddment of March , during which   researchers will inflate a canvass that will trail the   satellite into Earth ’s atmosphere to destroy it .