HELIUM balloons are known for pulling things up, but they could be a great way to drag defunct satellites down towards Earth, ensuring they don’t contribute to the proliferation of space junk.
Balloons are an attractive alternative to making satellites execute an end-of-life dive into the Earth’s atmosphere. That’s because the balloons would cost less to launch than the extra fuel such dives would require, says Kristin Gates of the Global Aerospace Corporation in Altadena, California.
Any new satellite could be launched with a folded-up balloon stowed on board. At the end of the satellite’s useful life, the balloon…
