I’m sure you’ll be as unsurprised as I am that when it comes to managing upper stages, China is not following them.
[Update a few minutes later]
Maybe we should make a “Hungry Hippo” version of Starship one day to collect and de-orbit spent rocket stages and other space junk
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 26, 2026
If we are truly going to become a durable spacefaring civilization, the problem of uncontrolled, derelict stages and vehicles will have to be solved.
As far as Elon’s remark, we will need a process to render derelict stuff safe (would not want a boom scenario) and then transport them to a collection point for recovery, recycling and then return for disposal of the undesirable bits.
Shred the leftover crap and pack it into standardized transport bins.
Yes. Co-locate the orbital recycling works with LEO propellant depots. Luna-bound freighters launched with partial payloads can pick up the balance of their loads in the form of volume-minimized trash while refilling and then continue on to where landers can take it all down to the lunar surface for more involved forms of reuse.
Long-term, the material being processed will be mostly end-of-life Western constellation sats. The Russian and PRC legacy debris cloud will cease growing when those nations collapse – both likely fairly soon. Clearing all of their orbital litter will be a sizable project for orbital recycling infrastructure, but a limited-term one. Once the Russian and PRC orbital presence is erased, it won’t be coming back.
I’m thinking similar. An orbital industrial park repeated at certain inclinations.
It seems China does for orbital debris what it does for climate change and ocean plastics. But hear me out; Musk is the bad guy here because he’s a billionaire!
Near low earth orbit aerogels.
“Cure” markedly worse than disease.
1. No precision of crashdown/splashdown point.
2. Braking collision produces thousands of bits of aerogel of all sizes – all dangerous and none trackable.
True…
Kinda worth it though to have a jello fight in space
My idea was to send up a fleet of small sats with autonomous docking hardware, and a small engine, to grapple and deorbit the big objects.
And, deorbit them such that the debris lands on the Chinese launch facilities. Just being kind and returning their equipment.
With you in spirit, though I’d prefer dropping them all on metro-Beijing.
“And, deorbit them such that the debris lands on the Chinese launch facilities. Just being kind and returning their equipment.”
A thought that has no doubt occurred to more than a few bombarded Chinese villagers over the years.
You Only Live Twice
‘Feds seize $40M in gold bars, cash, Rolexes from former CIA official who faked being a Navy pilot’
http://bit.ly/4fNaWyp
‘Goldfinger, he’s the man
The man with the Midas touch’
https://youtu.be/pcMyGLsKLIw?si=Zn9V-YZCA4pqGqIl