Space junk is a big problem. A few days ago we told you about the latest incident (for now), with two objects from the defunct Soviet Union (satellite and launch stage). they were very, very close to colliding with each other. It may seem like a non-issue since both objects are out of service, but said collision could have generated thousands of pieces of debris in orbit, debris that can cause accidents like the one suffered by the Soyuz spacecraft a few months ago. is docked to the International Space Station and which was not only the return vehicle for three of the seven astronauts currently on the ISS, but also their lifeboat should an emergency evacuation be necessary.

As we have said on previous occasions, this is nothing new. Scientists around the world have been warning about this risk for decades, and as low orbit began to settle, possible plans to withdraw it began to be studied. The problem is that all the means tested so far have been discarded, either because they did not work or because the economic costs of putting them into operation were unaffordable not only for the country, but even for international consortia.

That, the scientific community continues to puzzle over finding and capturing solutions that will finally allow us to begin removing as much of said space junk as possible.. At this point, it is important to remember that when we talk about space debris, we mean satellites and launch stages, but also much smaller pieces and debris, some so tiny that they would seem harmless, but when they are in orbit. move at a speed that can be deadly.

The European Space Agency has studied other plans to tackle this problem in the past, but of all the options seen so far, we now seem to be facing the most promising one in every respect. I am talking about ADEO, a new ESA system that proposes space debris disposal using sails. As? In a very, very simple explanation, when a satellite or other object ceases to operate, a sail is deployed in front of it to cross its path. In this way, the system of the sail and the object will generate more friction, which in turn will cause its orbit to drop, causing it to eventually fall into the atmosphere and end up calcined in it.

Most interestingly, ADEO has already been tested by the European Space Agency and the results are really satisfactory at the moment, although for now it has been tested with small elements and sails, specifically a version capable of stopping objects weighing up to 100 kilograms. However, the agency confirms that tarps of up to one hundred square meters can be used, so they will be able to slow down and accelerate the fall of large objects.

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