Scientists want to blast space waste out of the sky with lasers

Jan 18, 2018

A photo taken on July 26, 2017 by a member of the Expedition 52 crew aboard the International Space Station shows one of the 16 sunrises they experience every day, as the orbiting laboratory travels around Earth. One of the solar panels that provides power to the station is seen in the upper left. NASA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

The space debris surrounding Earth is reaching crisis point, but lasers could be the answer to solving this issue. Image: REUTERS/NASA

Chelsea Gohd

Our Impact

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how Space is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Space

Image: Futurism

Have you read?

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

More on Space
See all

1:50

This is the most colourful view of the universe yet

The International Space Station has just marked a significant anniversary. Here's what life inside is like

Sean Fleming and Ian Shine

November 8, 2023

These are the space missions to look out for in the 2020s

Ian Shine

September 28, 2023

The ozone layer is on the right path to recovery: Here's how the world made it happen

Simon Torkington

September 15, 2023

This CEO has travelled to space and the deepest ocean floor – here’s how he deals with risk

Simon Torkington

September 14, 2023

The UN wants space regulated 'for all humanity' – here's why

Simon Torkington

September 4, 2023

Scientists want to blast space waste out of the sky with lasers

Chelsea Gohd

Share:

Explore and monitor how Space is affecting economies, industries and global issues

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Space

Have you read?

Why the new space race must focus on sustainability

These 5 industries will be first to do business in space

Space technology is improving our lives and making the world a better place. Here’s how

Don't miss any update on this topic

Related topics:

Share:

The Agenda Weekly

More on Space
See all

Share:

.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;color:#2846F8;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{font-size:1.125rem;}}Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Space

Have you read?

Why the new space race must focus on sustainability

These 5 industries will be first to do business in space

Space technology is improving our lives and making the world a better place. Here’s how

Don't miss any update on this topic

Related topics:

Share:

The Agenda .chakra .wef-n7bacu{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-weight:400;}Weekly

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

The Agenda Weekly