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| Japan tests innovative magnetic tether for slowing space junk | Japan tests innovative magnetic tether for slowing space junk |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Japan has launched a cargo ship which will use a half mile- (700m)-long tether to remove some of the vast amount of debris from Earth's orbit. | Japan has launched a cargo ship which will use a half mile- (700m)-long tether to remove some of the vast amount of debris from Earth's orbit. |
| The tether, made of aluminium strands and steel wire, is designed to slow the debris, pulling it out of orbit. | The tether, made of aluminium strands and steel wire, is designed to slow the debris, pulling it out of orbit. |
| The innovative device was made with the help of a fishing net company. | The innovative device was made with the help of a fishing net company. |
| There is estimated to be more than 100 million pieces of space junk in orbit, including discarded equipment from old satellites, tools and bits of rocket. | There is estimated to be more than 100 million pieces of space junk in orbit, including discarded equipment from old satellites, tools and bits of rocket. |
| Many of these objects are moving high velocity around the Earth at speeds of up to 28,000km/h (17,500mph) and could cause catastrophic accidents and damage to the world's orbital telecommunications network. | Many of these objects are moving high velocity around the Earth at speeds of up to 28,000km/h (17,500mph) and could cause catastrophic accidents and damage to the world's orbital telecommunications network. |
| The junk has accumulated in the more than 50 years of human space exploration since the Soviet-launched Sputnik satellite in 1957. | The junk has accumulated in the more than 50 years of human space exploration since the Soviet-launched Sputnik satellite in 1957. |
| Collisions between satellites and the testing of anti-satellite weapons have made the problem worse. | Collisions between satellites and the testing of anti-satellite weapons have made the problem worse. |
| The automated cargo ship - called Stork or Kounotori in Japanese - which is carrying the junk collector is bound for the International Space Station and blasted off from Tanegashima Space Center in the North Pacific. | The automated cargo ship - called Stork or Kounotori in Japanese - which is carrying the junk collector is bound for the International Space Station and blasted off from Tanegashima Space Center in the North Pacific. |
| Researchers say the lubricated, electro-dynamic tether will generate enough energy to change an object's orbit, pushing it towards the atmosphere where it will burn up. | Researchers say the lubricated, electro-dynamic tether will generate enough energy to change an object's orbit, pushing it towards the atmosphere where it will burn up. |
| A 106-year-old Japanese fishing net maker, Nitto Seimo Co, collaborated with Japan's space agency to develop the mesh material, Bloomberg reported last month. | |
| The experiment is part of an international initiative designed to make space safer for astronauts by getting rid of space junk. | The experiment is part of an international initiative designed to make space safer for astronauts by getting rid of space junk. |
| It is hoped that it will also provide better protection for space stations and weather and communications satellites worth billions of dollars. | It is hoped that it will also provide better protection for space stations and weather and communications satellites worth billions of dollars. |
| The junk collector is the latest in a series of ideas put forward to tackle the problem, including harpooning, sweeping, lassoing and dragging debris into the atmosphere for burning. | The junk collector is the latest in a series of ideas put forward to tackle the problem, including harpooning, sweeping, lassoing and dragging debris into the atmosphere for burning. |
| Experts say there are big financial benefits in reducing the risk for the multi-billion dollar space industry, but they caution that the Japanese scheme will only work for bigger pieces of junk. | Experts say there are big financial benefits in reducing the risk for the multi-billion dollar space industry, but they caution that the Japanese scheme will only work for bigger pieces of junk. |