So, nobody will be recycling space debris that lives at GEO any time soon, unless someone figures out how to do it in situ.
Actually have a funded project looking at this, albeit only parts of the chain and only to TRL4. The trick is being able to turn enough of the orbital mass into solid propellant, which at least in theory makes manoeuvring around GEO graveyards collecting stuff to take to your orbital recycling plant net positive. After that it's only building a complex processing chain for raw materials under space systems engineering constraints and finding some end customers to worry about ;)
Want a rotary multitool and laser cutting end-effectors (with or without the Sener interface) for the next mission?
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Actually have a funded project looking at this, albeit only parts of the chain and only to TRL4. The trick is being able to turn enough of the orbital mass into solid propellant, which at least in theory makes manoeuvring around GEO graveyards collecting stuff to take to your orbital recycling plant net positive. After that it's only building a complex processing chain for raw materials under space systems engineering constraints and finding some end customers to worry about ;)
Want a rotary multitool and laser cutting end-effectors (with or without the Sener interface) for the next mission?