Satellite optimization comes in many shapes and forms – in delivery methods, in acceleration or virtualization types, etc.

But what if we simply simplified the whole destruction process while we’re on the subject of making improvements (i.e. “optimizations”)?

According to NASA officials, the organization just ejected a nanosatellite known as NanoSail-D from a free-flying microsatellite. This demonstration shows the capabilities at hand – allowing us to deploy a small “cubesat” from a microsatellite out in space.

This event will mark the first time NASA has ever launched one satellite from another – and there are reported benefits in the space debris industry.

"The successful ejection of NanoSail-D demonstrates the operational capability of FASTSAT as a cost-effective independent means of placing cubesat payloads into orbit safely," said Mark Boudreaux, FASTSAT project manager.

"With this first step behind us, we have demonstrated we can launch a number of different types of payloads using this common deployment system from an autonomous microsatellite like FASTSAT."

What are the plans for NanoSail-D’s return? Well, according to NASA the nanosatellite is on a three day countdown. Sometime on Thursday, it will release a solar sail meant to test solar propulsion – the goal is to use the push from the sun’s light to bring about an earlier demise for the nanosatellite.

Ahh, just what any nanosatellite could ever ask for: a toasty, atmospheric death long before its time.

(In all seriousness, there is tons of space debris out there. If we could incorporate a way for old detritus to self-destruct after its point of usefulness, it would cut down on the potential for… incident.  As we delve further into outer space and leave more junk in our wake, we stand to encounter some of that junk upon its re-entry. And the results are not likely to be pretty.)