Satellite trash - The dark side of the space boom

More and more satellites are circling the Earth, as launching them become cheaper and cheaper. But out-of-service satellites can remain in orbit for decades. Now specialized companies want to help tidy up space.

Telephone calls, satellite navigation, online banking: The services we depend on every day require satellites to work. But the risk of collision grows with each new object that is launched into orbit. And with every crash comes more debris that’s increasingly difficult to control. If there’s an impending threat of a collision, even the International Space Station (ISS) can only try to dodge the danger. In such emergencies, the crew battens down the hatches and heads for the "lifeboat” - the capsule attached to the ISS. German astronaut Matthias Maurer describes how they simply seal all the doors to the space station and hope for the best.

But gradually, people are starting to realize that we need to get rid of this space debris before disaster strikes. The Munich-based aerospace company HPS is planning to help the tidy-up operation with its innovative drag sail. The first test runs in space are already very promising.

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