#33: Space debris removal, Old clothes fund vaccines

Japanese company develops world-first tech to remove satellite parts and other debris floating in space; Plus, Tokyo company looks to save lives of children through 'vaccines from old clothes' service.

No space for debris (Full story):

Old rags to vaccine riches (Full story):

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【Content】
00:00 - Intro
00:16 - Space debris removal
01:08 - Old clothes fund vaccines

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Welcome to J-STORIES channel, a source of solutions offered from Japan that could help solve some of the social and environmental problems in the world.

This week's line-up: Space debris removal, Old clothes fund vaccines

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【Full Script】

(Intro)
Welcome back to J-Stories, where ideas and technology from Japan help solve global social and environmental problems. I’m Toshi Maeda… and here’s a quick look at this week’s J-Stories!

/// Story 1 ///
A Japanese multinational company has joined forces with private companies and space agencies in Japan and Britain to develop a way to remove debris from space.

An estimated one hundred thousand pieces of space debris orbit the earth.

Traveling at speeds of seven or eight kilometers a second, even the tiniest fragment could cause critical damage to spacecraft and endanger life.

The Tokyo-based Astroscale is the world’s first private company to specialize in space debris removal.

It has already started testing a debris removal satellite in space… and plans to launch a satellite capable of removing space debris by 2024.

Astroscale’s general manager, Miki Ito, told J-Stories that debris removal services could help make space development sustainable.

She’d like such services to be part of “space infrastructure” by 2030.

///Story 2///
Another Tokyo company has been putting old clothes to use to help protect children from a deadly disease.

For over a decade, Nihon Reuse Systems has been recycling used clothes to pay for polio vaccines in Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vanuatu.

With the help of a Japanese medical NPO, it has recycled 35 million garments and provided 4.5 million vaccinations. The clothes are collected in Japan then sold at shops in Cambodia.

In addition to vaccinations, the company also provides employment for the disabled and disadvantaged.

The kits used to collect clothes are prepared at welfare facilities in Japan by people with disabilities, while staff in one Cambodian shop include former street children.

This October the company started the same service for corporate clients.

It is estimated that every twenty seconds a child living in a developing country dies from a contagious disease that could have been prevented by vaccination.

With one hundred and thirty truckloads of clothes thrown away every day in Japan, there is plenty of potential for more recycling… and more vaccinations.

(Outro)
That’s all for this week from J-Stories. Please visit our website at J-Stories. Media for more details on these stories. Thank you for watching, and stay tuned for more solutions and inspiration from Japan!

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