LARAMOTIONS: a conceptual study on laser networks for near-term collision avoidance for space debris in the low Earth orbit

Abstract

A conceptual study has been carried out on laser station networks to enhance Space Situational Awareness and contribute to collision avoidance in the low Earth orbit by high-precision laser tracking of debris objects and momentum transfer via photon pressure from ground-based high-power lasers. Depending on the network size, geographical distribution of stations, orbit parameters, and remaining time to conjunction, multipass irradiation enhances the efficiency of photon momentum coupling by 1–2 orders of magnitude and has the potential to eventually yield a promisingly significant reduction of the collision rate in low Earth orbit.