Just like the previous article of in-orbit manufacturing and being more responsible in space, in-orbit recycling will help us make space more sustainable. In-orbit recycling is taking old or broken space infrastructure (satellites, space stations rocket boosters etc) and turning the junk into something useful.
In orbit recycling could help us solve the space junk problem around Earth’s orbit by reusing or repurposing the components that are already there. We have spent rocket boosters, satellite components with rare Earth metals and super alloys which could be reused for parts of a new space station or in-orbit facility for manufacturing. Obviously major modifications and repairs would be required for this to work.
Figure 1 The International Space Station as seen from a Crew Dragon spacecraft in 2021 Credit:NASA
We could also in the future recycle old space stations by breaking them down into useful parts and then smelting the remaining unusable components into raw materials to be used for manufacturing new products. We could use our old and broken junk into someone else treasure by investing also in material processing facilities. We would need to research and develop methods on in-orbit smelting. We could possibly build metallurgy facilities on the Moon like Lunar Resources who plan to launch a demonstrator on the lunar surface (7) (8). Penn State Student Space Programs Laboratory are developing a microwave system to smelt metals on the moon (9). We could possibly invest in developing smelting facilities in Earth’s orbit and use microgravity to develop new and novel alloys with unique properties that could be impossible to make down here (10).
Old and disused satellites could be scavenged for parts that are still operational for a new satellite that is being built in-orbit. If the satellite is still functional but the mission is over or the components have degraded we could reuse them for a mission where the degraded performances are acceptable. This would require in-orbit servicing industry to be past it’s infancy and have developed ways to conduct in-orbit diagnostics of various subsystems.
In-orbit recycling could work very well with in-orbit servicing and in-orbit manufacturing and create a circular economy in space while reducing our negative impact around Earth. We would need to commit serious investment in developing space tugs that can push our junk into position for recycling or to put into “scrapyard” orbits as are developing recycling and manufacturing facilities.
I think in-orbit recycling is going to face some potential legal issues that will need to be resolved. This is in terms of ownership of the old or broken equipment that is currently orbiting in space. One scenario could be we have a brand-new satellite that was deployed but is put out of action shortly after due to being struck by debris or catastrophic failure in a subsystem. The company (or state) who built that satellite or subsystems may not want a potential rival company or state would probably not want it captured and taken apart to protect IP or national security reasons.
While we have a lot of technical and possible legal challenges ahead recycling along with manufacturing and servicing is a really interesting area we should investigate and invest in. Not just from an economical but environmental reason. We could repurpose stuff that is up there, manufacture new components to upgrade or replace systems which could reduce the need to launch new satellites for a job that could already be carried out.
References
1. NOAA Research. NOAA scientists link exotic metal particles in the upper atmosphere to rockets, satellites. [Online] 16 October 2023. [Cited: 25 May 2024.] https://research.noaa.gov/2023/10/16/noaa-scientists-link-exotic-metal-particles-in-the-upper-atmosphere-to-rockets-satellites/.
2. Baker, Harry. Falling metal space junk is changing Earth’s upper atmosphere in ways we don’t fully understand. Live Science. [Online] 24 October 2023. [Cited: 25 May 2024.] https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/falling-metal-space-junk-is-changing-earths-upper-atmosphere-in-ways-we-dont-fully-understand.
3. University of Leeds. Vaporised spacecraft linked to metals in atmosphere. [Online] 17 October 2023. [Cited: 25 May 2024.] https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news-science/news/article/5435/vaporised-spacecraft-linked-to-metals-in-atmosphere.
4. Dixit, Mrigakshi. 88-pound piece of SpaceX spacecraft debris crashes on a farm in Canada. Interesting Engineering. [Online] 17 May 2024. [Cited: 25 May 2024.] https://interestingengineering.com/space/spacex-debris-crashes-in-canada.
5. NASA. The International Space Station Transition Plan. [Online] [Cited: 25 May 2024.] https://www.nasa.gov/faqs-the-international-space-station-transition-plan/#q4.
6. Davis, Jason. How NASA plans to deorbit the International Space Station. The Planetary Society. [Online] 21 November 2023. [Cited: 25 May 2024.] https://www.planetary.org/articles/how-nasa-plans-to-deorbit-the-international-space-station.
7. Lunar Resources. [Online] [Cited: 25 May 2024.] https://www.lunarresources.space/#technologies.
8. Berger, Eric. Machine to melt Moon rocks and derive metals may launch in 2024. [Online] 21 January 2022. [Cited: 25 May 2024.] https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/01/machine-to-melt-moon-rocks-and-derive-metals-may-launch-in-2024/.
9. Lucas, Mariah R. NASA-funded student team builds microwave system to smelt metal on the moon. Penn State. [Online] 12 June 2023. [Cited: 25 May 2024.] https://www.psu.edu/news/engineering/story/nasa-funded-student-team-builds-microwave-system-smelt-metal-moon/.
10. Lewin, Sarah. Making Stuff in Space: Off-Earth Manufacturing Is Just Getting Started. Space.com. [Online] 11 May 2018. [Cited: 25 May 2024.] https://www.space.com/40552-space-based-manufacturing-just-getting-started.html.