From laser beams and wooden satellites to galactic towing services, startups in Japan are trying to imagine ways to deal with a growing environmental problem: space debris.
Junk such as used satellites, rocket parts and debris from collisions have been piling up since the beginning of the space age, although the problem has accelerated in recent decades.
“We are entering an era in which many satellites are launched one after the other. Space is getting crowded,” said Miki Ito, general manager at Astroscale, a company dedicated to “sustainability in space.”
“There are simulations that indicate that if we continue like this, space will not be usable,” she told AFP. “So we must improve the heavenly environment before it’s too late.”
The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that there are about a million pieces of debris larger than a centimeter – large enough to “disable a spacecraft” – in Earth orbit.
They’re already causing problems, from a near miss in January involving a Chinese satellite to a five-millimeter hole punched in a robotic arm on the International Space Station last year.
“It’s difficult to predict how quickly the amount of space debris will increase,” said Toru Yamamoto, senior researcher at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
But “it’s an issue that raises real concerns about the sustainable use of space.”
With satellites now critical for GPS, broadband and banking data, collisions pose significant risks on Earth.
Tadanori Fukushima recognized the magnitude of the problem while working as an engineer at Tokyo-based satellite operator and broadcaster SKY Perfect JSAT.
“A stationary satellite would receive about 100 debris approach warnings per year,” he told AFP.
International “satellite disposal guidelines” include rules such as placing used satellites on a “graveyard orbit” — but the increase in debris means more is needed, specialists say.
– “No panacea” –
Fukushima launched an internal start-up in 2018 and plans to vaporize the surface of space debris with a laser beam and generate a pulse of energy that will propel the object into a new orbit.
The emitting laser means there is no need to touch debris, which is commonly said to be moving at around 7.5 kilometers per second – much faster than a bullet.
Currently, the project is experimental, but Fukushima hopes to test the idea in space by spring 2025 in collaboration with several research institutions.
According to Fukushima, Japanese firms are leading the way in developing solutions, along with some in Europe and the United States.
Some projects are more advanced, including Astroscale’s space tow truck, which uses a magnet to collect out-of-service satellites.
“If a car breaks down, you call a towing service. If a satellite breaks down and gets stuck there, there is a risk that it will collide with debris and need to be collected quickly,” explained Ito.
The company ran a successful trial last year and envisions one day fitting customer satellites with a “docking plate” that resembles a tow truck’s hook for later pickup.
Astroscale, which has a contract with ESA, plans a second test by the end of 2024 and hopes to start service soon after.
Other efforts are tackling the problem at the source by creating satellites that don’t produce debris.
Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry envision a wooden satellite that flies into orbit on a rocket and is sure to burn up when it crashes to earth.
That project, too, is still in its infancy — in March, pieces of wood were sent to the International Space Station to test how they respond to cosmic rays.
Space agencies have their own programs, with JAXA focusing on large debris over three tons.
And internationally, companies like Orbit Fab of the US and Neumann Space of Australia have proposed ideas like in-orbit refueling to extend the life of satellites.
The problem is so complex that a number of solutions are needed, said Yamamoto of JAXA.
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