In the United States, the space startup TransAstra secured a milestone win in a NASA competition focused on creating a novel method to collect trash from orbit around Earth. Space News reported that representatives from the company disclosed the terms and significance of the award, highlighting the competitive process and potential impact on orbital cleanliness.
The contract value stood at 850,000 dollars. Under the agreement, TransAstra is tasked with delivering a working prototype of the debris-collection device and demonstrating its effectiveness through Earth-based testing before advancing to spaceflight validation.
The concept behind using inflatable structures to seize space debris originated during work on NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory project concerning asteroid protection. The initial vision involved capturing hazardous near-Earth objects with inflatable nets and redirecting them toward lunar orbit for safer handling and study.
TransAstra envisions churning out detachable “bags” capable of carrying a range of objects: microsatellites weighing about 1.3 kilograms, spent rocket bodies, fixed-position communications hardware, and even larger targets up to fifty thousand tons. This broad carrying capacity would enable a single system to address a spectrum of orbital wastes, from small payloads to substantial remnants of launch activities.
Looking ahead, the company proposes transferring the collected debris to an orbital processing facility operated by ThinkOrbital, known as ThinkPlatform. Proponents claim that this approach would lower fuel use by roughly 82 percent and cut mission time by about 40 percent when conducting near-Earth debris cleanup. Despite the optimistic projections, no firm timeline has been announced for the construction and operation of such an integrated infrastructure. The plan underscores a broader shift toward centralized, automated in-space recycling and debris management—an evolving area closely watched by policymakers, engineers, and space operators (Space News, 2024).
In a separate development, the incident involving the Russian Progress MS-22 vehicle illustrated the ongoing challenge posed by space debris to orbital operations. The event underscored the urgency of effective debris mitigation strategies and the potential role of innovative capture and processing technologies in reducing collision risk and safeguarding ongoing missions (Space News, 2023).