From recycling old satellites in space to turning rocket parts into fuel or beaming debris back to Earth, researchers are exploring new ways to tackle the growing problem of space junk.<\/p>\n
For decades, we have been littering space with decommissioned satellites and rocket parts orbiting our planet. Now this space debris poses a growing threat to the satellites and spacecraft we rely on. But researchers believe some of this debris could be turned into a valuable resource. According to the European Space Agency<\/a>, more than 2,700 dead satellites are currently orbiting Earth, along with around 54,000 objects larger than a golf ball and an estimated 140 million pieces bigger than a fleck of paint.<\/p>\n Over the years, many solutions have been proposed \u2013 from new regulations to limit debris<\/a> to technologies designed to remove it. However, two EU-funded research initiatives are taking a different approach as part of a European Innovation Council (EIC) push to tackle space debris.<\/p>\n Through its support for high-risk research, the EIC is helping scientists test radically new ways to deal with space debris, including dismantling and recycling old satellites in space and \u201cbeaming\u201d smaller fragments back into Earth\u2019s atmosphere where they will burn up and disintegrate.<\/p>\n Salvaging the wreckage<\/p>\n A team of companies and universities from the UK, Spain, Estonia and Sweden is exploring whether old satellites could be taken apart and reused directly in space. Their work, known as DEXTER<\/a>, was launched in 2025 and is led by Leonard Felicetti, a space engineering associate professor at Cranfield University in the UK.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are cluttering space with new objects,\u201d said Felicetti. \u201cWhat we want to do is to try and reuse the material that is already there.\u201d<\/p>\n Satellites are built from valuable materials such as aluminium. While some eventually fall back to Earth and burn up, others remain in orbit for decades or even centuries. The idea is to recover those materials before they become a long-term hazard.<\/p>\n How to safely break down space junk<\/p>\n The DEXTER team is tackling two key challenges: how to safely dismantle satellites in orbit and how to reuse their materials in a meaningful way<\/a>.<\/p>\n One option is to repurpose the metal to build new structures in space, such as rigid frameworks that could support or extend satellites. Another more ambitious idea is to turn that material into fuel.<\/p>\n To get there, old satellites would first need to be captured and taken apart. Researchers are developing tools that could make this possible, including robotic arms to grab debris and lasers capable of cutting through metal in space-like conditions. Early tests are already under way in the lab.<\/p>\n Turning scrap metal into fuel is more complex. One idea being explored by project partner Magdrive in the UK is whether aluminium could be converted into plasma and used in an ion thruster \u2013 a type of engine that propels spacecraft using charged particles.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a classical chemical fuel,\u201d Felicetti said. \u201cBut it could offer a new way to power satellites using materials that are already in orbit.\u201d<\/p>\n How such fuel would be stored or shared is still an open question. One possibility is to create refuelling depots in space, where spacecraft could dock and take on fuel produced from recycled debris.<\/p>\n For now, the focus is on proving the concept. The team hopes to demonstrate key technologies in orbit within the next few years.<\/p>\n Beaming debris back down<\/p>\n While some researchers are looking to reuse debris, others are focused on removing it altogether, especially the smaller fragments that are hardest to track and most dangerous.<\/p>\n Some companies have already tested spacecraft that can attach to large pieces of debris and pull them back into the atmosphere. But this approach does not work well for tiny fragments, which are far more numerous.<\/p>\n