In a lamentable case of debris - on - debris crime , a defunct freight adapter that was pick out as the subject of aspace debris cleanup missionwas itself strike by a slice of blank dust .
The VESPA payload transcriber has been floating in Earth ’s electron orbit following the launching of a Vega rocket in 2013 , add together to the thousands of piece of space junk that currently beleaguer our planet . On August 10 , the European Space Agency ( ESA ) was informed by the United States 18th Space Defense Squadron that new piece of rubble were spotted within the vicinity of the VESPA adapter , suggesting that the object break up into smaller piece due to a hit with another piece of space debris .
After a decade in orbit as a useless opus of space junk , VESPA was on the threshold of serving a final purpose as the target ofClearSpace-1 — a nipper - comparable spacecraft designed to snap up space junk and fling it into Earth ’s atmosphere to burn up . The European mission is slate for launch in 2026 , and was mean to rendezvous with VESPA for test the new junk removal technology in outer space .
An illustration of the ClearSpace-1 mission, which is set to launch in 2026.Illustration: ESA
“ The maturation of the ClearSpace-1 mission will continue as design while additional data point on the issue is collected , ” ESA write in astatement . “ ESA and industrial partners are carefully evaluating the upshot ’s impact on the mission . ”
The double junk hit is not just ironic , but also highlights the get military issue of space junk in Earth ’s orbit . More than 27,000 pieces of orbital debris are currently beingtrackedby the Department of Defense ’s worldwide Space Surveillance internet , with lots of smaller piece also floating around undetected . That number is bear to increase as the global distance industry continues to grow , launch more spacecraft to orbit and therebyincreasing the chances of collisionaround our planet .
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