It involves Tokyo-based Orbital Lasers and Indian robotics company InspeCity. It would study opportunities for services such as de-orbiting a defunct satellite and extending a spacecraft’s life.

• Orbital Lasers is building a system that will use laser energy to stop the rotation of space junk by vaporising small parts of its surface, making it easier for a servicing spacecraft  to make orbital maneuvers.

What is Space Debris?

• It is defined as all non-functional, artificial objects, including fragments and elements thereof, in Earth orbit or re-entering into Earth’s atmosphere. 
  • Out of 35,150 tracked objects in orbit, only about 25% are working satellites. (United Nations University)

Concerns related to Space Debris

• Threat to space exploration: Debris collisions can disable an operational spacecraft and damage components like optics and solar panels. E.g. collision with a 10-cm object would cause catastrophic fragmentation of a satellite.
• Kessler syndrome: Uncontrolled growth of debris can lead to self-sustained cascading collisions creating a chain of reactions. 
• Risk to life on Earth: Large space debris  that reenter the atmosphere in an uncontrolled way can create risks for the population on the ground. 

Way Forward

• Successful Passivation of Spacecrafts limiting on-orbit breakups, Adoption of effective disposal strategies at the end of missions