Governments, Businesses Take Interest in Space Junk

The U.S. Space Command recently released a proposal aimed at reducing the "junk" orbiting the Earth in space.

Space junk might be a piece of metal that broke off from an orbiting satellite. Or it could be a whole satellite that is no longer powered on or controlled by the organization that launched it.

If other countries and businesses agree to follow the U.S. proposal, outer space could become much safer and cleaner.

Lloyd Austin is the U.S. Secretary of Defense¹. He approved the proposal, known as "Tenets of Responsible Behavior in Space," in early March. It is not a legal document; it is a five-point list of so-called "best practices."

One of the points reads: "avoid operating...in a way that may harmfully interfere² with the function of (another) space object." Another is "operate space objects through end-of-life disposal in ways that limit...long-lived debris³."

The other points relate to avoiding collisions, or crashes, between space objects, not interfering⁴ with an organization's ability to control a space device and communicating ahead of time about a possible collision.

The main concern is that there are too many old objects in space that are no longer used. Those objects may get in the way of objects that are useful.

Government space agencies and private businesses are working to create some kind of order, especially in the part of space that is called low Earth orbit. That is where a number of internet satellites launched by Elon Musk's company SpaceX are currently active. Amazon is also planning to launch satellites into that area.

Jack⁶ Deasy is a vice⁵ president for the company Astroscale, which is based in Tokyo, Japan. The company is testing a debris-removal device called ELSA. The device connects to space debris and pushes the objects towards Earth's atmosphere, where they will burn up.

Deasy said the points included in the U.S. proposal should be adopted by the industry before something bad happens in orbit.

If something is not done soon and something happens in orbit, Deasy said he is worried the industry will make a fast decision in answer to an accident. He said, "That kind of ... crisis-driven thing is not always the best way of setting up long-term policies that sustain the ecosystem⁷."

So far, Astroscale has raised $376 million for its space-cleaning program.

One of the investors⁸ is Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. He recently published a message on Twitter saying that garbage in space "can become a big problem in the future."

While Astroscale is developing a system to remove space debris, other companies are working on creating devices that can capture old satellites and refuel them. The hope is that the old devices can be reactivated so they can be useful for a longer period.

Another company, Neumann Space of Australia, is working on a way to collect old satellites and turn them into fuel for currently active satellites.

The metal can be used to power new satellites, explained Herve Astier. He runs Neumann Space.

"Using the metal that's already there, that's a way to move forward in terms of sustainability," he said.

Neumann plans to launch a test satellite in June.

Words in This Story

junk–n. unwanted material, trash or garbage

tenet –n. a rule or idea accepted by many

practice –n. a way of doing something

debris –n. something unwanted that takes up space or is an obstacle

adopt –v. to put something into use

ecosystem –n. the place where something exists

garbage–n. unwanted material, or trash; something no longer useful

sustain–v. to keep something going for a long time

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

3 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

4 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

7 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

8 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会