Autonomous Space Debris Capturing System for Recycling

Space debris is unwanted and useless objects floating around in Earth's orbit. These junks are remains of dead satellites, rockets, lost tools, and many other things. In a general Discussion about space, space debris does not come up often, but they are a significant factor that can severely affect a mission. Over 5 million objects are floating around Earth, out of which only 2000 are working satellites. There are millions of objects moving around at a very high velocity. If any object at this speed collides with a satellite, it can destroy it and can cause a loss of billions of dollars. There have been several cases of such collisions in space. Numerous space debris removal/capture systems were proposed to clean the space and solve this problem. But these systems have certain limitations - some are object-specific, some are number constrained, or some cannot distinguish what to remove and what not to remove. But no one knows what to do with this debris. The present work proposes a novel autonomous system that can be controlled from a ground station. It is a tubular structure open at one of its ends but can be closed on command. The system can be launched into space like a satellite, will orbit around Earth in a prescribed orbit, and collect all the debris that will come in its way. Internally the structure comprises two sections-first, a normal region for the collection followed by magnetic to hold all objects with a magnetic metal. Once the tube is filled, it will close from both ends will be brought back to the Earth. The system can be programmed according to debris type, size, number, and location. The system is equipped with a self-defense system, ACS, and maneuvering system to protect it in space. Processing with this will not only clean the orbits but will also allow using of precious materials that are floating in space as waste.