Ground-based laser system to destroy space junk

Japanese startup is developing a ground-based laser system to fire at small space junk, causing it to fall into the atmosphere and burn up.

Ground-based laser beams could be a way to remove space junk. Photo: EOS — Japanese startup plans to fire lasers from the ground to remove space junk. Photo: *EOS*

Space junk is defunct man-made objects in Earth orbit, such as old satellites or spent rocket stages. These objects, which vary in size, pose a risk of colliding with spacecraft, functioning satellites, and the International Space Station (ISS). Pieces as small as a few millimeters can cause serious problems if they collide at high speeds.

The need to track and remove space debris is growing as space-related activities grow. EX-Fusion, a Japanese startup based in Osaka, plans to develop a ground-based laser system to destroy space debris, Interesting Engineering reported on January 16.

In October 2023, EX-Fusion signed a memorandum of understanding with EOS Space Systems, an Australian company that specializes in space debris detection technology. EX-Fusion also announced plans to install a powerful laser system at the EOS Space Observatory near Canberra.

The first phase of the project will involve setting up laser technology to track debris smaller than 10 centimeters in size. Debris this size presents a major challenge when aiming lasers from the ground. In the second phase, EX-Fusion and EOS Space will fire laser beams from the ground to remove space debris.

The method involves intermittently firing a laser in the opposite direction of the debris’s motion to slow it down. Theoretically, this orbital deceleration would cause the debris to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up. EOS Space is providing laser weapon systems to destroy drones, but high-powered lasers have other applications as well.

The lasers designed to destroy space junk are not the same as those used as weapons, according to James Bennett, executive vice president of EOS Space. Current laser weapons use fiber lasers to cut and weld metal and destroy drones with a continuous burst of heat. But EX-Fusion’s approach uses a diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSS). These lasers apply force to fast-moving pieces of junk, stopping them like a brake.

EX-Fusion’s plan to shoot down space junk from the ground would face a number of challenges related to accuracy and power. However, this method has the advantage of being easier to upgrade and maintain because the infrastructure is located on Earth, while many other methods require deployment in space, such as the Japanese company Astroscale Holdings, which wants to launch satellites to remove large pieces of junk.

Thu Thao (According to Interesting Engineering )

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