Breaking Down the Techniques of Space Debris Disposal: The waste present in space: how can it be eliminated? A project has been introduced.
Osaka: A project has been proposed by a Japanese startup company, aiming to use lasers built for nuclear fusion energy to eliminate waste in space.
Osaka City's local X Fusion company, having created the world's most powerful laser, intends to address the issue of orbiting space debris with a novel approach.
The Diode-Pumped Solid-State (DPSS) laser, designed to propel hydrogen fuel pellets with an extremely powerful beam, was created to initiate fusion reactions (similar to the natural process that occurs on the sun).
In connection with this process, the company realized that laser technology could be employed without sending lasers into space to eliminate floating debris.
The company's CEO, Kazuki Matsu, stated that the intensity of lasers for eliminating space debris is lower than that of nuclear fusion, but they face technical challenges such as controlling it with specific regulations.
The Japanese startup has already collaborated with the Australian company AOES Space Systems, which specializes in finding waste in space.
The X Fusion company will initially target debris smaller than 10 centimeters in space, which was previously impossible for ground-based lasers to address.
The beam will be used to slow down the speed of debris in space until its velocity is low enough not to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere when it re-enters.