This Satellite Uses Special Glue to Stick to Space Debris Like Flypaper

Space debris—fragments of old satellites and rockets that remain in space—poses an epic threat to satellites and spacecrafts currently in orbit. Proposals to eliminate it have so far included everything from harpoons to lasers. Singapore-based startup Astroscale has a different idea. It reckons it could use a satellite equipped with a specially configured adhesive—whose chemical structure the company is keeping secret—to trap and destroy rogue bits of space waste. The contraption would basically work a bit like flypaper. As well as working on grabbing space debris, the startup is also working on tracking space waste. “In March, after a series of tests, we finally made a glue that manages to trap bits of space debris while withstanding harsh space environments,” said Miki Ito... More

(Source: Motherboard - May 3)