Space specialists believe that there are approximately 100 million pieces of space trash orbiting the Earth, weighing around 8,000 tonnes, the majority of which is satellite and rocket debris. Not all space junk floats around in space. Approximately 200,000kg of space trash is believed to be on the lunar surface, with this number expected to rise with future missions.
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According to Orbit Recycling, a German start-up, more than 150 tonnes of aluminium may be recovered and recycled on the moon alone. This would save billions of dollars, as the total cost of recycled aluminium on the moon is Є150,000 per kilogramme, which is a fraction of the cost of transporting material from the Earth.
Researchers at Swinburne University have begun investigating a really interesting matter, which is recycling the ‘trash’ already present on the lunar surface. The team leading this research includes Professor Geoffrey Brooks, Associate Professor Boris Eisenbart, Professor Alan Duffy and also other experts from India, China, and the United States. The research team is also investigating how space trash can be transformed into valuable resources.
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Lunar recycling is a difficult task, but it must be addressed. All of the world's main space agencies are planning moon missions. Now is the moment to consider what we leave behind in future lunar trips, particularly if we want to establish a long-term human presence on the moon.
The present research of the researchers at Swinburne University focuses on the optimum furnace technology for recycling on the moon. To answer this challenge, scientists are looking at concentrated solar energy as a source of heat, and they have been producing ceramics and metals using concentrated solar energy and regolith-like materials found on the earth's surface. This is part of the Swinburne Space Technology and Industry Institute's alien resource processing research programme.
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