Japan, India startups to study laser-equipped satellite to tackle space debris
17/12/2024 06:00
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Orbital Lasers and InspeCity to collaborate on in-space
services
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Laser demonstration in space planned after 2027
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United Nations warned in October of risks of space junk
By Kantaro Komiya
TOKYO, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Space startups in Japan and
India said on Tuesday they had agreed to jointly study using
laser-equipped satellites to remove debris from orbit, an
experimental approach to the increasingly imminent problem of
orbital congestion.
Tokyo-based Orbital Lasers and Indian robotics company
InspeCity said they would study business opportunities for
in-space services such as de-orbiting a defunct satellite and
extending a spacecraft's life.
Carved out from Japanese satellite giant SKY Perfect JSAT
9412.T this year, 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 rendezvous.
Orbital Lasers plans to demonstrate the system in space and
supply it to operators after 2027, said Aditya Baraskar, the
company's global business lead. It can be mounted on InspeCity
satellites if the companies clear regulatory requirements in
India and Japan, Baraskar added.
The companies said they had signed a preliminary agreement
to initiate the collaboration. InspeCity was founded in 2022 and
raised $1.5 million last year, while Orbital Lasers has raised
900 million yen ($5.8 million) since it was established in
January.
A United Nations panel on space traffic coordination in late
October said that urgent action was necessary to track and
manage objects in low Earth orbit because of the rapid increase
in satellites and space junk.
There are already more than 100 companies in the space
servicing market as satellite constellations expand, Nobu Okada,
chief executive of Japanese debris mitigation pioneer Astroscale
186A.T , said earlier this year.
The project is the latest example of collaboration between
Japan and India, whose governments are working together on the
joint Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission, which could
launch as early as 2026.
Indian rocket maker Skyroot and satellite builder HEX20 are
also working with Japanese moon exploration firm ispace 9348.T
on a future lunar orbiter mission.
The two countries' commercial space tie-ups have been driven
by Japanese satellite data solutions for India's disaster
management and agriculture, and can expand to more fields such
as manufacturing, said Masayasu Ishida, chief executive of
Tokyo-based nonprofit SPACETIDE, which has hosted space business
conferences since 2015.
"The key is finding where and how to build complementary
relationships" that align with national policies such as Make in
India, which aims to boost local production, Ishida said.
($1 = 154.1000 yen)
(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Additional reporting by Nivedita
Bhattacharjee; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
((Kantaro.Komiya@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: @kantarokomiya;))