Using robots to recycle satellite parts in space

New Scientist : As a potential cost-cutting measure, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has proposed recycling parts of dead satellites that are in graveyard orbit. The agency estimates that billions of dollars’ worth of satellites, many of them retired due to obsolescence or failure, are currently orbiting Earth. DARPA’s Phoenix program would draw on diverse techniques, such as remote operating procedures and remote imaging, gleaned from non-space-related activities like surgery and offshore drilling, to harvest parts that could still be useful. A first test mission is planned for 2015 during which a robot would use remote sensing to collect parts and reconfigure them for a new purpose. However, old satellites are not necessarily just up for grabs—according to the Outer Space Treaty dating from the late 1960s, any object launched into space remains the property of the country that launched it.