Gateway Earth Project Could Recycle Old Satellites In Geostationary Orbit - Part 2 of 2 Parts
Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
The Gateway Earth station could repair, repurpose or recycle dead satellites and space debris. The materials resulting from this activity could be uses as construction materials for future spacecraft or bases on the moon. This harvesting of materials would reduce space junk and would not cost anything to launch because they are already in orbit. These recycled materials could also produce income to support the Gateway Earth station.
Research indicates a space station in an orbit one hundred miles above the protected zone in GEO would have access to the entire GEO. Satellites could be captured and taken to the station by a fleet of drones. They could be either recycled or repaired. It is estimated that such activities could generate over eight billion dollars a year. However, the international space laws mentioned above are outdated and would require extensive revision in order for this to happen. Fortunately, the United Nation is already working on this problem with input from the Gateway Earth Development Group.
One use for the shells of the dead satellites could be to grind them down into powder and use the powder to 3-D print radiation shielding for Gateway Earth. Research shows that the type of solar panels used in satellites only lose about a quarter of their efficiency in fifteen years. This means that panels on old satellites could be removed and used to power Gateway Earth.
Many excellent cameras have been sent into space on satellites. If these could be recovered from defunct satellites at Gateway Earth, they could be repurposed to watch the sky for asteroids that might collide with the Earth. Currently there are about four thousand functional satellites in Earth Orbit. Thousand more are about to be launched to LEO. There are also plans to put another one hundred and fifty satellites in GEO. It would be very useful to have Gateway Earth in a high orbit to manage all these satellites.
There are plans to expand Gateway Earth into a space hotel to generate additional revenue. Future enhancements include satellite and spacecraft construction facility. It could also serve as a spacecraft refueling facility for space missions beyond Earth orbit.
Tethers Unlimited is working on a construction spider robot with eight legs. Four for climbing around on space structures and four for construction. The robot will carry a spool of construction material that could be used to construct space lattices. Having space lattices in GEO would be very useful. Right now, each satellite that goes to GEO has to go alone and find a clear path around the Earth that does not interfere with other satellites. With huge lattices constructed by robots, satellites could be sent to GEO and mounted on the lattice saving orbital space and concentrating the satellites to make them easier to service. The construction material to construct the space lattice could be provided by ground up satellite shells.
Gateway Earth has the potential to be a major step in the long-term proper use of GEO.