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Space Junk Is Polluting Our Atmosphere, but China Thinks It May Have Found a Solution

An academic paper from China explains the viability of using lasers to break up small space debris in earth’s orbit. But some worry that the lasers could be used for military warfare.

Space Junk Is Polluting Our Atmosphere, but China Thinks It May Have Found a Solution
NASA.

Here on earth, litter and pollution are problems. But thanks to old satellites and other manmade contraptions, earth’s orbit is also littered with junk.

The magnitude of space junk is problematic for more than existential reasons. The high-speed junk is a “deadly cascade,” said experts at the European Space Agency, threatening future space missions and satellites already in orbit.

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