> Plasma propulsion system could help remove space debris without contact

His approach, successfully demonstrated in laboratory experiments and published on August 20, 2025, in Scientific Reports, builds on the idea of slowing space debris down until it falls out of orbit and burns up upon re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. Previous research has suggested this concept, but it has yet to be effectively employed in practice.

The idea is that a removal satellite, deployed for the express purpose of removing space debris, could use a propulsion engine to spew plasma toward a piece of space junk. The force of the plasma would slow the junk, decelerating it enough to drop out of orbit—a process that takes about 100 days. The issue is that the force of the plasma emitted from the removal satellite has a harsh kickback, moving the satellite away from the target and lessening the deceleration effect.

https://phys.org/news/2025-09-plasma-propulsion-space-debris-contact.html