Description: After end-of-life (EOL) of the International Space Station (ISS), expected in 2028 or later, the plan of record is to de-orbit the ISS, causing it to burn up in Earth's atmosphere and/or fall as debris into the Pacific Ocean. This project will explore the possibility of extending the value of the ISS beyond EOL through recycling into feedstocks suitable for future space assets.
With this global ideation challenge, NASA seeks to inspire innovators of all ages, skills, and interests to consider how humanity can make use of these materials to explore the cosmos in a more sustainable and cost effective way. Remember: every kilogram of space debris that can be recycled is one less kilogram that needs to be launched, saving time, fuel, and money. The goal of this challenge is to explore whether recycling of space assets (sections of rockets, satellites, etc.) can be cost-effective versus launching new materials into space. Since launch costs increase proportionally with mass, recycling larger objects means that cost effectiveness will improve as more and more mass is recycled and reused while in orbit.

Benefits:

The NASA Orbital Alchemy Challenge aimed to inspire the global community of innovators and inventors to consider how to transform a problem into a resource. Since the 1950s, spacefaring nations of the world have expended a great deal of time and money to place objects in space. In addition to the costs to launch these items, in financial terms as well as rocket fuel, these satellites collectively required a vast array of valuable materials such as steel, titanium, ceramics, plastics and more. Furthermore, these items, some weighing several tons or more, had just two end of operational life options: 1) de-orbiting to be burned up in the atmosphere or sunk into the Pacific Ocean or 2) remaining unused and lifeless in orbit. With the Orbital Alchemy Challenge, NASA wanted to foster ideation into a new and more sustainable option: recycling defunct satellites while in orbit. The overarching goal of the challenge was the theoretical processing of the largest orbiting items, from large satellites up to and including the International Space Station (ISS) itself. The justification for this focus was that the largest items present the greatest return of harvested materials, in terms of volume and variety. In total, TechConnect received thirty one submissions from a diverse international audience. At the request of the NASA team, TechConnect conducted an initial screening of responses, resulting in 17 submissions presented for formal evaluation by NASA judges who identified nine respondents as winners: one each for first and second place, three third place winners and four honorable mentions. A total of four respondents opted for recognition only and utilized the IP off-ramp option. Technologies proposed as a result of the NASA Orbital Alchemy Challenge include: biochemical recycling of metals, novel surface preparation approaches, as well as ideation focused on re-use of components and comprehensive approaches which surround a defunct satellite in order to completely process it.
Incrementally Advanced Towards a Solution
Planned for future implementation
Technical Solution