Posted: 15:44, July 8, 2022 | Updated: 16:30, 8 July 2022
Debris removal on the International Space Station just got a whole lot easier.
Nanoracks, a private space company based in Houston, has successfully tested a new technology that will streamline the process of disposing of waste in space.
On July 2nd, Nanoracks developed a special waste container that can hold up to 600 kg of trash that is inside the Bishop Airlock.
The waste bag is then released, where it will burn up on re-entry into the atmosphere, and the Airlock is repositioned empty.
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“Collecting space debris has been a long-standing, but less publicized, challenge on the ISS,” said Cooper Read, Bishop Airlock program manager at Nanoracks. Pictured is the new Nanoracks technology that throws trash into space
“This successful test not only demonstrates the future of debris removal for space stations, but also highlights our ability to leverage the ISS as a commercial technology test bed, which provides critical information on how we can prepare for the next phases of commercial LEO (low Earth orbit) destinations,” said Dr. Amela Wilson, CEO of Nanocracks, in a statement.
Currently, astronauts must collect the trash and store it inside the ISS for months while they wait for the Cygnus cargo vehicle to arrive and haul it away.
After Cygnus’ primary mission to the ISS is complete, the astronauts fill the spacecraft with junk before it is released from the station to leave orbit – so the entire spacecraft burns up on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
The first test of the company’s technology — conducted in collaboration with NASA’s Johnson Space Center — held about 172 kilograms of trash that included foam and packaging materials, cargo bags, soiled crew clothing, miscellaneous hygiene products and used office supplies.
On July 2nd, Nanoracks developed a special waste container that can hold up to 600 kg of trash that is inside the Bishop Airlock. Pictured is the International Space Station
“Four astronauts can produce up to 2,500 kilograms of trash per year, or about two trash cans per week,” notes Nanoracks. The image above shows the development of the new technology
“Collecting space debris has been a long-standing, but less publicized, challenge on the ISS,” said Cooper Read, Bishop Airlock program manager at Nanoracks.
“Four astronauts can produce up to 2,500 kilograms of trash per year, or about two trash cans per week.
“As we move into an era where more people live and work in space, this is a critical function as it is for everyone at home.”
The new system is based on the flight-proven, successful Nanoracks Cubesat Deployer (NRCSD) and SmallSat (Kaber) developers.
The company notes that Bishop provides a platform for proof-of-concept operations, as well as the ability to test subsystems and robotics, expose hardware to the radiation environment, and develop satellites.
EXPLANATION: The $100 Billion International Space Station Is 250 Miles Above Earth
The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100 billion (£80 billion) science and engineering laboratory orbiting 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. Since November 2000, it has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts. The crews are mainly from the US and Russia, but the Japanese space agency JAXA and the European space agency ESA have also sent astronauts. The International Space Station has been in continuous operation for more than 20 years and has been spent with multiple new units added and upgrades to systems Research conducted on the ISS often requires one or more of the unusual conditions found in low Earth orbit, such as low gravity or oxygen. ISS studies have explored human research, space medicine, life sciences, natural sciences, astronomy and meteorology. The US space agency, NASA, spends around $3bn (£2.4bn) a year on the space station programme, with the rest of the funding coming from international partners including Europe, Russia and Japan. So far 244 people from 19 countries have visited the station, including eight private individuals who spent up to $50 million to visit. There is ongoing debate about the station’s future after 2025, when it is believed that part of the original structure will reach “end of life”. Russia, a major partner on the station, plans to launch its own orbital platform around then, with Axiom Space, a private company, planning to send its own commercial-use modules to the station at the same time. NASA, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are working together to build a space station in orbit around the moon, and Russia and China are working on a similar project, which would also include a base on the surface .
