Japan's first space garbage collector experiment failed

The cables used to drag space junk off orbit on a Japanese probe were unsuccessful
.
It is reported that this is the beginning of the world's first experiment to clean up space junk
.

Currently, there are more than 500,000 pieces of space flying around Earth, including fragments of abandoned satellites and old probes
.
They pose a threat
to operating satellites and new space equipment.

Scientists are working on a range of cleaning methods, including cables, salvage nets, harpoons, sails and robotic arms
.
They are all designed to capture space junk debris and drag it back into Earth's atmosphere, where it burns and decomposes
.

On January 28, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) began experimenting
with its space waste removal cable technology.
A 700-meter-long section of metal cable is mounted on an unmanned probe called White Stork 6, which will return to Earth after delivering supplies to
the International Space Station.

The cable was intended to unfold on the detector and its current would pass through the entire cable
.
The idea is that an electric current interacts with the geomagnetic field, creating a pull that takes the debris off orbit
.
The debris then falls into the atmosphere and is burned to
ashes.

Proponents of the cable say special space equipment can attach the cable to existing space debris
.
In addition, each new satellite launched will carry a cable
that will be activated at the end of its life in orbit.

However, the White Stork 6 failed to release the cable to test its potential
to remove trash.
In the early morning of February 6, JAXA failed to deal with the failure
that occurred when the probe returned to Earth's atmosphere.
"We failed to unfold the cable, but we don't think it was because of the cable itself, but something else
.
" A JAXA spokesman said, "A detailed analysis
is currently under way.
”

"Releasing a cable seems simple, but everything is not easy
in space.
" Sean Tuttle of the University of New South Wales in Australia said: "The tiniest thing can also cause the whole system to crash, and you can't go there and deal with it
.
" Tuttle said the failure of the experiment should be seen as a setback, not a fatal blow
to the space junk removal cable.

It is understood that the Japanese cable experiment is the first attempt of
space junk debris removal technology.
The UK plans to try salvage nets, harpoons and sails in 2017, while ESA has proposed to dispose of space junk
with salvage nets or robotic arms by 2023.