Astroscale, a Japanese company, recently established an office in the United States to pursue the proposed “cleanup” of space debris. The company is planning a series of demonstrations within the next year, of its ability to collect and remove space debris from orbit.
The company recently raised additional funding in the amount of $30 million to set up offices in the United states to begin marketing its technology.
Ron Lopez, president of Astroscale U.S, said that a recent National Security Launch Architecture (NSLA) study indicates that the US Air Force is interested in reducing the hazards of deactivated satellites and other space debris in low earth orbit. “The NSLA is very exciting,” Lopez said. “The Air Force is talking about safety, congestion, and how that affects resilience. This is the first real sign that the acquisition machine is moving in that direction.”
In addition to debris removal, Astroscale is also working on technologies to reposition satellites, either to improve performance or to avoid interference with other space operations.