Japan launched a raw spacecraft to the International Space Station ( ISS ) on Friday , December 9 , which away from deliver critical cargo will be testing out a radical method acting to polish off place detritus from orbit .

The unmanned spacecraft is called Kounotori 6 , the 6th H - II Transfer Vehicle ( HTV ) launch by the Japanese Space Agency ( JAXA ) . It ’s due to get in at the ISSthis Wednesday , where it will remain dock for about five weeks .

On control board the ballistic capsule are a identification number of supply , including water , supererogatory parts , and new experimentation hardware . The launching was all the more welcome as the last unmanned load launching to the ISS , Russia ’s Progress spacecraft , failed onDecember 1 , although the work party was not in peril of running out of supplies .

What ’s most interesting about this JAXA mission , though , is what will be bump after it complete its cargo mission . After Kounotori undocks , it will be performing an experiment in Earth ambit to practice removing space debris .

The spacecraft is going to unfurl a tether measuring about 700 meters ( 2,300 foot ) long , call the Kounotori Integrated Tether Experiment ( KITE ) . This is an electromagnetic lead ( EDT ) , and at the end is a mass weighing 20 kilograms ( 44 pounds ) . A current will run through the tether , and a combining of Earth ’s magnetic theater of operations and electric current is carry to keep it taut .

The tether is designed to produce atmospheric drag , create a noticeable pulling on the spacecraft . The idea is that this technology could be used on space rubble in the future to drag it out of eye socket .

It ’s estimated that there are one thousand thousand of piece of music of rouge fleck - sized debris in orbit , tens of thou of art object of outer space debris turgid than a tennis lump , and thousands weigh more than 100 kilograms ( 220 pounds ) . We ca n’t do much about the smaller debris at the minute , but for the bigger pieces ideas like this could be used to help remove them from reach .

JAXA is plan to flow the experiment for about a week , after which Kounotori will be de - revolve and cauterise up in Earth ’s standard atmosphere .