Russia to spend $2 bn to clean space around Earth
November 24th, 2010 - 9:58 am ICT by IANSMoscow, Nov 24 (IANS) Russia will build a special orbital pod worth $2 billion that would sweep up satellite debris from space around the Earth.
Every year, the space near Earth becomes more and more densely populated with used satellites and their debris, and the new system - estimated to cost about 60 billion rubles ($1.9 billion) - would help clean it up, Xinhua reported citing Russia’s Rocket and Space Corporation, also known as Energia.
“The corporation promises to clean up the space in 10 years by collecting about 600 defunct satellites on the same geosynchronous orbit and sinking them into the oceans subsequently,” Victor Sinyavsky from the company was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
The cleaning satellite would work on nuclear power and would be capable to work up to 15 years, he said.
Energia said in a statement that the company would complete the cleaning satellite assembly by 2020 and test the device no later than in 2023.
Sinyavsky said Energia was also in the process of designing a space interceptor that would to destroy dangerous space objects heading towards the Earth.
- NASA exploring ways to clean up space debris - Mar 12, 2012
- Russia launches cosmonaut recruitment drive - Jan 27, 2012
- New 'rocket' can go to moon on 100 cc fuel - Mar 30, 2012
- Russia plans new Mars probe in 2018 - Feb 02, 2012
- Two Russian space officials sacked over satellite loss - Dec 29, 2010
- NASA to clear space junk with gas puffs - Apr 13, 2012
- Lasers could zap space junk - Mar 16, 2011
- Russia to spend $170 mn on modernising space centre - Sep 07, 2011
- Russia may spend $12 bn on satellite navigation system - Feb 08, 2012
- A year of satisfactory space missions (2011 in Retrospect) (With images) - Dec 26, 2011
- China tops list of countries dumping most debris into space - Aug 16, 2010
- Six-tonne satellite to fall from orbit - Sep 09, 2011
- New space centre to come up in Russia - Jul 20, 2010
- India to launch next communication satellite in July - Jun 01, 2011
- Space junk may crash earth's communication networks - May 28, 2010
Tags: 10 years, bn, earth, geosynchronous orbit, interfax news agency, moscow, nuclear power, oceans, pod, rubles, russia, satellite debris, satellites, space corporation, space interceptor, space objects, xinhua