---
title: "Russia Wants to Vaporize Space Junk With a Laser. There Is No Way This Will Go Wrong."
description: "The Russian space agency Roscosmos just announced plans to clear away some of the space junk orbiting Earth with a giant laser."
date: "2018-06-18"
modified: "2018-06-18"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/laser-space-russia-vaporize-satellites"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "laser"
  - "laser cannon"
  - "Russia"
  - "satellite"
  - "space"
---

# Russia Wants to Vaporize Space Junk With a Laser. There Is No Way This Will Go Wrong.

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/laser-cannon-.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Emily Cho\</em\>*

Russian scientists are developing a gigantic space laser. Sounds like the villainous plot of a James Bond film – but it's not.

Scientists at Precision Instrument Systems (PIS) – a subdivision of the Russian space agency, [Roscosmos](<http://en.roscosmos.ru/>) – reportedly plan to build a laser to destroy some of the space trash orbiting the Earth, according to the [Russian state-backed news organization *RT*](<https://www.rt.com/news/429291-laser-clear-space-junk/>).

The laser isn't quite a laser just yet. Right now, it's a the beginnings of a three-meter optical telescope designed to seek out space junk. However, the PIS scientists recently submitted a proposal to the Russian Academy of Sciences to further develop the telescope into a laser cannon, *RT* [reports](<https://www.rt.com/news/429291-laser-clear-space-junk/>). The solid-state laser would be able to shoot down space junk by vaporizing it with a beam, according to the group's report.

Representatives from the PIS group are being a big cagey about the details. They confirmed that the report exists, but "declined to elaborate further" on a timeline of completion or any other technical details, reports *[Live Science](<https://www.livescience.com/62820-russia-space-lasers.html>).*

If the project is approved, the telescope will become a junk-blasting machine. It'll use a process known as "laser ablation" to pierce space junk with a beam of heat until it evaporates. Poof. And that's important, because space junk is a pretty sizable problem.

As we launch satellites and other space missions, we leave a tremendous amount of garbage behind — NASA estimated some [20 thousand hunks of crap](<https://www.nasa.gov/offices/nesc/articles/space-debris>) are orbiting Earth. A quick glance at [a live map](<http://stuffin.space/>) of all our trash satellites reveals a planet surrounded by a thick sea of garbage. While navigating that sea of trash isn’t quite as treacherous as making the Kessel Run (there, we referenced *Solo.* Deal with it.), it does turn space exploration into a [tricky obstacle course](<https://futurism.com/the-space-debris-problem-dual-impact-in-myanmar-shows-whats-to-come>).

Roscosmos isn't the first group to propose clearing away the abundance of space debris. In 2015, Japanese scientists suggested [adding a similar laser](<https://www.wired.com/2015/05/laser-cannon-space-debris/>) to the International Space Station, and Chinese engineers [explored a space-based laser](<https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0030402617312068?showall=true&via=ihub>) in research published earlier this year.

It bears mentioning that a laser capable of destroying discarded rockets could also damage functioning satellites, but it would be obscenely-short sighted of the Russian government to use such a weapon in a world where leaders threaten nuclear war over Twitter. It seems more likely that we’re safe from the Bond villains of the world for now.

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)