NASA Hands Over IDR 1.3 Trillion To TransAstra To Clean Space Waste

Illustration of garbage in space (photo: dock. NASA JPL)

JAKARTA - The United States Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) recently handed over money worth 850 thousand US dollars or equivalent to Rp1.3 trillion to TransAstra, aerospace company.

Reporting from the Business Insider, this money was handed over to investigate the possibility of cleaning up trash in space with a giant catcher called TransAstra's Flytrap.

TransAstra founder and CEO Joel C. Sercel said space junk is one of the biggest dangers for astronauts in low-earth orbit. Using this Flytrap, they will try to get rid of trash in space.

"It's like picking up trash on the side of the highway," Sercel said. He added that cleaning up this space junk would cost a lot of money.

The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that the amount of waste in space reaches 330 million pieces. With a speed of 17,500 mph, this debris could harm astronauts.

Initially, TransAstra's Flytrap was developed to capture asteroids. However, given the current urgency, they are shifting their focus to the mounting space junk.

Currently, TransAstra is testing ingredients for Flytrap so as not to tear up when used to catch trash, such asEVelar. These tested materials are materials that have proven their strength during use in space.