This image may not be used to state or imply ESA endorsement of any company or product Defunct satellite removal mission, illustration. Defunct satell

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This image may not be used to state or imply ESA endorsement of any company or product Defunct satellite removal mission, illustration. Defunct satellite being grappled for a controlled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, where it would burn up and be destroyed harmlessly. This is one of several concepts for clearing defunct satellites from orbit, an attempt to solve the problem of the hazard of fragmenting space debris increasingly cluttering orbital space around the Earth. Space debris ranges from the remains of failed launches to defunct satellites and unsecured tools that drifted away from orbiting spacecraft. Even a small object can cause a great deal of damage at the high speeds of Earth orbits. Each impact spreads more debris into a growing shell surrounding the Earth. Image published in 2013.

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Size: 3842px × 2161px
Photo credit: © Mixed-Reality Communication GmbH/EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, 2013, 21st, artwork, century, clearing, danger, dangerous, debris, defunct, deorbiting, earth, engineering, environment, environmental, flight, hazard, illustration, impact, junk, orbit, removal, safety, satellite, space, spacecraft, spaceflight, technological, technology