A California-based aerospace company has successfully tested an inflatable device designed to capture both hazardous space debris and resource-rich asteroids. The technology, known as the Capture Bag, completed a preliminary trial aboard the International Space Station, marking a step forward in the dual challenges of orbital cleanup and off-world resource extraction.
The effort is part of a growing international race to address the thousands of defunct satellites and rocket parts cluttering Earth's orbit while also exploring the economic potential of mining celestial bodies for valuable minerals.
Key Takeaways
- California-based TransAstra has developed an inflatable "Capture Bag" for capturing space debris and asteroids.
- A preliminary test of the bag was successfully completed on the International Space Station.
- The European Space Agency is also preparing a mission, ClearSpace-1, to remove a piece of rocket debris from orbit in 2026.
- There are an estimated 36,500 objects larger than 10 centimeters currently tracked in Earth's orbit, posing a risk to active satellites.
- Asteroid mining is seen as a potential long-term solution for sustainable resource acquisition for in-space manufacturing.
The Growing Problem of Orbital Debris
The space surrounding our planet is becoming increasingly crowded. Decades of satellite launches and space missions have left a trail of non-functional objects, commonly known as space junk, circling the Earth at high speeds. These items range from tiny fragments to entire spent rocket stages.
This orbital clutter poses a significant threat to active satellites that provide critical services, including communication, navigation, and weather forecasting. A collision with even a small piece of debris can cause catastrophic damage.
An Orbit Full of Hazards
Current estimates suggest there are approximately 36,500 objects larger than 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) being tracked in orbit around Earth. According to NASA, around 95% of these tracked objects are considered non-functional debris.
To address this issue, government agencies and private companies are developing innovative solutions. The European Space Agency (ESA) has partnered with Swiss startup Clearspace SA for a mission scheduled for 2026. The mission, called ClearSpace-1, will use a specialized vehicle with four robotic arms to capture a 112-kg piece of a Vega rocket adapter left in orbit since 2013. The goal is to safely guide the debris to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.
A Versatile Solution for Capture
In California, the company TransAstra is approaching the problem with a different technology: an inflatable Capture Bag. The device is designed to be versatile, capable of enveloping objects of various shapes and sizes without needing complex grappling mechanisms.
Joel Sercel, the founder of TransAstra and a former Caltech aerospace engineer, explained the four-part challenge his company aims to solve.
"To solve the asteroid mining problem, you actually have to solve four other problems that we call detect, capture, move and process," Sercel stated. He emphasized that TransAstra is developing technologies across all four areas.
The Capture Bag recently underwent a key test aboard the International Space Station. A one-meter diameter version of the bag was deployed inside the Bishop Airlock, where it successfully inflated in a microgravity and vacuum environment. Sercel noted the rapid development, saying, "We went from a sketch on a whiteboard to delivered hardware for the flight demonstration in seven months — in the space business, that’s unheard of."
From Small Debris to Massive Asteroids
The Capture Bag is designed in six different sizes to handle a wide range of targets:
- Micro: Small enough to fit in a coffee cup, intended for debris the size of a watermelon.
- Small: The one-meter version tested on the ISS.
- Large: A 10-meter version currently in development.
- Super Jumbo: A conceptual size large enough to capture a 10,000-ton asteroid.
The company is now working on the 10-meter bag with $5 million in funding, half of which comes from NASA. This larger version is intended first for debris removal, targeting defunct satellites in so-called "graveyard orbits" before being used for asteroid missions.
The Lure of Asteroid Mining
While cleaning up space junk is a pressing need, the long-term goal for companies like TransAstra is asteroid mining. Asteroids are rich in metals and other resources that could be essential for building future infrastructure in space, such as habitats and manufacturing facilities.
Why Mine in Space?
Proponents of asteroid mining, including Joel Sercel, argue that it is not economically practical to bring most materials back to Earth. Instead, the vision is to create a self-sustaining in-space economy. Mined resources like water could be converted into rocket propellant, and metals could be used to 3D print tools and structures directly in orbit, reducing the immense cost of launching materials from our planet.
To find suitable targets, TransAstra has established a network of telescopes it calls "Sutter," named after the mill where gold was discovered in California. These observatories, located in Arizona, California, and Australia, are tasked with identifying asteroids in Earth-like orbits that are easier to reach.
Sercel is optimistic about the timeline, stating, "We already know where hundreds of these objects are, and we’re planning on going and getting the first one in 2028 — that, we think, will foment a true industrial revolution in space."
Challenges and the Path Forward
The path to a space-based economy is filled with technical and financial hurdles. Previous asteroid mining ventures, such as Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries, ultimately folded before achieving their goals. To date, only government missions from the U.S. and Japan have successfully returned samples from asteroids, at costs running into hundreds of millions of dollars.
However, the dual-use nature of TransAstra's Capture Bag—serving both the immediate market for debris removal and the future market for asteroid resources—could provide a more sustainable business model. By first proving the technology on debris removal missions, the company can mitigate risk before attempting the more ambitious goal of capturing an asteroid.
Experts see promise in the approach. Eleonora Botta, an associate professor at the University at Buffalo's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, highlighted the bag's versatility. "This versatility is valuable for asteroid capture and even more so for managing space debris," she noted, adding that the main engineering challenge will be scaling the system up from its successful ISS test.
As both private companies and space agencies push forward, the next decade could see the first active efforts to clean our orbital environment and lay the groundwork for tapping the vast resources of the solar system.