Japanese Space Ship Fails to Remove Debris by Earth's Magnetic Field

The unmanned Japanese space cargo ship Kounotori 6 failed to carry out a key test of its magnetic technology to remove debris from earth's orbit.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — According to the NHK broadcaster, Kounotori 6 was expected to deploy a 700-meter-long (almost 2,300 feet) electric wire which would use electric current generated by the magnetic field of the Earth. The wire was expected to then cause space debris to slow down and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere, where the pieces would burn up.

The cargo ship is expected to re-enter the atmosphere on Monday. It was launched on December 9 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan and docked at the International Space Center (ISS) on December 13. It carried food, water, several minituarized satellites and new lithium-ion batteries for the station.