Sono decine i satelliti che vagano nello spazio senza energia, che non riescono più a mantenere la loro orbita e che sono divenuti oramai inutilizzabili. Ecco allora che alcune imprese aerospaziali hanno sviluppato una sorta di “soccorso spaziale” per allungare la vita dei satelliti evitando ai loro proprietari di doverne mettere in orbita di quelli nuovi a costi ben maggiori.
“Oggi sperchiamo centinaia di milioni di dollari per satelliti divenuti inutilizzabili e per inviarne di nuovi nello spazio” ha affermato Al Tadros, direttore delle infrastrutture spaziali della società SSL che, nel 2021, è intenzionata a lanciare uno strumento, l' RSGS, in grado di intervenire su diverse decine di satelliti in orbita geostazionaria a 36'000 km dalla Terra.
RSGS sarà in grado di “acchiappare” un satellite, fagli il “tagliando” , eventualmente procedere alle riparazioni e fargli il pieno di carburante prima di rimetterlo sull’orbita corretta. Ciò potrebbe anche ovviare al problema dei “rifiuti spaziali” sparsi un po' ovunque.
ATS/AFP/Swing
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