NU Researchers Develop Technology to Clean Up Space Junk, DKNews.kz reports.
Every year, old satellites, rocket parts, and their fragments build up in Earth’s orbit, creating a growing field of space junk that can damage working satellites and threaten future missions. There are now 140 million pieces of space debris larger than 1 centimeter orbiting Earth, the European Space Agency reported in October 2025. The orbital environment has the potential to reach a critical number of space junk objects where cascading collisions occur, a phenomenon known as the “Kessler Syndrome”. Approximately five of the largest space junk objects must be removed each year to prevent this. Unfortunately, no mission has yet fully completed even a single space junk object removal, but two missions are planned for 2026 (UK/Japan) and 2029 (EU).
To help solve the space junk problem and ensure Kazakhstan has a place in this fast-developing area, NU researchers are working on Tethered Aerobrake Research for Active deorbit and Zero debris (TARAZ) - a project supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan for 2025–2027. The project name also echoes the ancient city of Taraz, symbolizing balance and connection - values that reflect its mission to restore balance in near-Earth space. TARAZ is led by Dr. Dmitry Sizov from NU’s School of Engineering and Digital Sciences. The work is conducted in close collaboration with international experts Prof. Vladimir Aslanov and Prof. Alexander Ledkov, as well as NU-based Prof. Altay Zhakatayev. The team also includes NU students contributing to simulation work.
The project is about the mathematical substantiation of an orbital experiment in which a small satellite equipped with a special braking device (deployable sail or inflatable balloon) and a tether - essentially a strong cable - gently pulls a piece of space debris toward the atmosphere, where it will safely burn up. This approach is low-cost and environmentally friendly because it uses natural air resistance instead of fuel-powered engines. It works a bit like a tow truck in space - linking to a broken satellite and slowly guiding it off the “orbital highway” so that another spacecraft can travel safely. To check how the tether system behaves and how it can be controlled to keep the towing safe, in-house developed mathematical models will be used. This simulation phase lays the groundwork for a future real-orbit demonstration once additional funding is secured. Similar missions, such as RemoveDEBRIS (2021), have shown that thorough mathematical modeling is essential before sending hardware into space.
Photo: Olesya Orina
“Each space junk removal mission is unique, so there are no ready-to-use simulators, and many mathematical models here have to be developed from scratch. I find this fact important. In addition to the mission concept, the new models and the mission parameters chosen using these models are also going to be our contribution to the space debris problem solution,” says Dr. Dmitry Sizov.
Kazakhstan has a long history in space - from Baikonur to its own satellites - and today the world is moving toward not only using space, but also maintaining and protecting it. By developing affordable and sustainable space-cleanup technologies like TARAZ, Kazakhstan can participate in shaping this new sector instead of simply watching others lead it. Space junk removal is becoming a key global market, and developing affordable technologies opens opportunities for scientific leadership and new industry growth.
