Japan could implement a novel technique to eliminate space debris. A local company devised a method to destroy satellite and rocket debris with a laser beam. While other countries have explored this possibility, the Asians plan to fire them from Earth.
According to a report from Nikkei, Japanese startup EX-Fusion will leverage its experience developing laser technology to remove space debris. The company will place a high-power laser inside an observatory to track and remove debris in orbit. Lightning will be a tool, since the person responsible for disintegrating them will be the Earth’s atmosphere.
Ex-Fusion signed a memorandum of understanding with EOS Space Systems, an Australian weapons company. EOS will use its tracking systems to track space debris smaller than 10 cm.
The plan is divided into three phases. The first is locate the space debris to be eliminated using a tracker. Once tracked, the observatory will intermittently shoot at debris from the opposite direction to its path. The objective is reduce speed so debris enters the atmosphere and disintegrate before reaching dry land.
EOS has experience in destruction of flying objects using laser. The defense company developed a high energy laser (HEL) weapon capable of neutralizing drones within a 4 km radius. He HEL It reaches power levels of 54 kW and can operate continuously with no time limit. Another device is the Titanisa system for disabling individual or group drones with a combination of lasers and a 7.62mm cannon.
How will space debris be removed with lasers?
James Bennett, CEO of EOS Space, stated that destroying space debris requires a different approach than drones. Defense systems to eliminate flying objects use fiber lasers, a technology used in the manufacturing sector to cut metal with high precision.
In the case of space debris a diode-pumped solid-state laser will be used (DPSSL), which will hit the surface of a hydrogen fuel pellet to trigger a fusion reaction. The engineers They will fire the beam intermittently at pieces smaller than 10 cm to force them into the atmosphere and make them burn.
“In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of space debris around Earth that threatens to cause catastrophic collisions with valuable space assets that are essential for modern life on Earth,” Ex-Fusion mentioned. “One strategy to mitigate the space debris problem is to use optical ground stations equipped with high-power laser systems to remove space debris or alter their orbit to avoid these catastrophic collisions.”
The agreement between Ex-Fusion and EOS Space covers a period of 12 months, where the technology will be tested at an observatory in Canberra, Australia. According to the Asian company, locating and destroying smaller debris with a laser has always been a challenge.
Ex-Fusion seeks to found the first commercial laser fusion power plant. The emerging company rraised $13 million through a financing round that will help you establish your facilities and develop the first reactors.