Japan, India startups to study laser-equipped satellite to tackle space debris

FILE PHOTO: A satellite model is placed on a picture of Earth in this illustration taken November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

TOKYO (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.