Using lasers to clean up space junk

Osaka, Japan-based startup EX-Fusion is attempting to do what once seemed impossible: remove microscopic space junk with a laser beam fired from the ground.

Space junk comes from old satellites and rocket bodies, and small pieces of debris a few millimeters in size can also cause problems when they hit spacecraft and active satellites.

In October 2023, EX-Fusion signed a memorandum of understanding with EOS Space, an Australian contractor that owns technology used to detect space debris. EX-Fusion plans to place a high-powered laser inside an observatory operated by EOS Space outside Canberra, Australia.

The first phase will be to set up laser technology to track debris smaller than 10cm. For phase 2, EX-Fusion and EOS Space will increase the power of the laser beam fired from the surface and hit the debris, slowing it down. With the reduced orbital speed, the debris will enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up.

GIA BAO