New Laser May Blast Space Junk Out of Orbit from the ISS

Space trash is a growing problem as more and more debris is released into our Earth's orbit. Now, scientists have put forward a blueprint for a purely space-based system to solve the issue.

Space debris is continuously accumulating as a result of human space activities. It consists of artificial objects orbiting Earth. In fact, the number of objects in orbit has nearly doubled from 2000 to 2014 and has become a major obstacle to space development. The total mass of space debris is calculated to be about 3,000 tons and consists of derelict satellites, rocket bodies and parts, and small fragments produced by collisions between debris.

Because the debris exists in different orbits, it is difficult to capture. In addition, the trash can collide with space infrastructure, such as the International Space Station (ISS) and active satellites. As a result, developing infrastructure in space has become a major challenge.

However, a new system may change things. Researchers have developed a method that combines a super-wide field-of-view telescope and a recently developed, high-efficiency laser system.

The telescope will be used to first detect the debris. Then, the laser will be focused on the debris. This will produce high-velocity plasma ablation and the reaction force will reduce its orbital velocity, leading to the trash's reentry into Earth's atmosphere where it will burn off.

Currently, the researchers hope to deploy a small proof-of-concept experiment on the ISS. If that goes will, then they plan to install a full-scale version on the ISS.

"Our proposal is radically different form the more conventional approach that is ground based, and we believe it is a more manageable approach that will be accurate, fast, and cheap," said Toshikazu Ebisuzaki, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We may finally have a way to stop the headache of rapidly growing space debris that endangers space activities. We believe that this dedicated system could remove most of the centimeter-sized debris within five years of operations."

The findings are published in the journal Acta Astronautica.

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