 An electromagnetic Pulse Plasma Thruster (shown above) has been tested successfully on NASA’s EO-1 satellite. |
New technologies are important for mitigating debris in a cost-effective manner. One such technology is the Teflon-stick fueled Pulse Plasma Thruster, which would make it cheaper for operators to passivate satellites at the end of their lives by eliminating the need for fuel tanks with complicated venting systems. Another technological challenge: Recent studies indicate that in order to stabilize the debris population in the long run, particularly in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit where debris lasts forever, it will be necessary to remove several large objects per year, including non-functional spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages. The challenge is to determine which objects should be removed first and what the best method may be. |
Technology
