Private Company Secures NASA Contract to Clean Up Space Junk with Innovative 'Capture Bags'

NASA has awarded a contract to space logistics startup TransAstra for the development of a bag that could inflate after being deployed in Earth orbit, with the aim of capturing and removing space debris. TransAstra initially focused on asteroid capture but realized that the challenges were similar for both asteroids and space junk. The company plans to move the capture bag around low Earth orbit using a space tug called Worker Bee. However, it may take years or decades for the technology to be ready for spaceflight. Earth orbit is estimated to have over 36,500 debris objects larger than 4 inches, and the space debris problem continues to worsen.