Swiss scientists have designed a space-junk-cleaning janitor
satellite called CleanSpace One, the Associated Press reported.
There are over a half million pieces of "space junk" circling
Earth at 17,500 miles per hour, according to the AP, posing
dangers to newer — and more expensive — satellites currently in
use. The Swiss Federal Institute for Technology in Lausanne
designed the satellite, and in a statement on its website, said
space junk "is an increasingly pressing problem for spacecraft,
and it can generate huge costs." CleanSpace One works by
launching on a rocket, determining the trajectory of a piece of
space debris it aims to "deorbit," then approaching the junk by
modifying its own course. It then grabs onto the garbage with
pincers and soars back into Earth's atmosphere, where it burns
on reentry. The satellite is small - only 10 cm by 10 cm by 30
cm. But its impact on space safety could be great. EPFL noted,
"even a simple paint chip can seriously damage a solar panel or
the window on a shuttle.