Space debris, which arises during the development and residence of people in space, pollutes the earth's orbital space more and more every year. In conjunction with the evolving prospects for the development and settlement of other planets, space debris often forms from disintegrating spacecraft, the final stages of launchers, and various fragments of satellites in orbit. The majority of space debris is distributed in our planet's geostationary and near-Earth orbits, and its presence poses a significant threat to the security of satellites and spacecraft in orbit.

Debris in the orbit of the planet has a negative impact on the ecology of the earth

Space debris can be destroyed with lasers

Space debris is known to pose a threat to the planet's ecology, since burning burns toxic and radioactive substances into the atmosphere. Discovery and monitoring of orbital waste has recently attracted considerable attention from scientists around the world. Despite innovative geodetic technologies with the highest measurement accuracy, laser detection technology is still frequently used to detect accumulations of waste. There are currently over 50 laser observation stations worldwide that are connected to a large network of satellite-based measurement and tracking instruments. With both technologies, scientists can determine the precise location of debris and other accumulations of space debris with particular accuracy.

Laser rangefinder technology is one of the most accurate methods for measuring space, according to an article published on Phys.org. Modern lasers are able to determine the exact position of space objects with centimeter accuracy. Despite all available information about space objects, laser technology has several disadvantages, which are expressed in poor accuracy of the prediction and the possible incorrect alignment of the telescope from the actual location of the space debris. At the same time, according to recent observations, scientists have been able to develop new methods for detecting space debris that we can use to build safe routes for maneuvering spacecraft.

Chinese scientists have been able to improve the accuracy of detection of space debris in Earth's orbit

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Laser location technologies are known to rely on determining the reflection of objects to measure the distance between the laser and the potentially threatening object. However, the echo signal reflected from the surface of space debris is often very weak, which significantly reduces the measurement accuracy. However, after Chinese scientists have succeeded in developing a new technology based on the use of neural networks – algorithms that have been modeled with the human brain – the situation could change radically. After performing test measurements, the technology has shown improved accuracy compared to previous methods for measuring the distance between space objects.

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After a successful test, a team of scientists is ready to continue working on improving existing methods. The future development of laser technologies will not only improve safety when maneuvering spacecraft, but also improve the system for the destruction of space debris.