Plasma beams to clear space junk? Europe’s ALBATOR project tests contactless space debris removal
October 27, 2025
A European-led research initiative is developing a system that can protect the International Space Station (ISS) and vital satellites from a collision with defunct spacecraft and orbital fragments, without ever touching the debris.
The €3.9 million ($4.6 million) project, called ALBATOR, aims to use electromagnetic particle beams to guide debris away from spacecraft.
The initiative is funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and involves research teams and private companies from across Europe.
It addresses a pressing issue in modern spaceflight: the growing hazard of orbital debris that can threaten the safety of Earth’s lower orbit.
The increasing risk of space junk
Current passive measures can no longer manage the increasing risk. For example, a 12U satellite positioned at an altitude of 580 km could stay in orbit for over 20 years before it naturally de-orbits. During that time, it continues to endanger other space assets. A 12U nano-satellite typically measures 20 x 20 x 30 centimetres and weighs between 20 and 50 kilograms.
More than 36,000 objects larger than 10 centimetres currently orbit the Earth. In addition, there are over a million smaller fragments measuring between 1 and 10 centimetres and about 130 million tiny particles that are too small to track but can inflict serious damage on spacecraft.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), these fragments, moving at speeds of up to 28,000 kilometres per hour, pose significant risks to satellites and crewed missions.
As more satellite constellations, including SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, enter space, the chances of collisions are high. Each impact creates new fragments, leading to a cycle termed “Kessler Syndrome,” a chain reaction of collisions that makes key orbital paths unusable.
How ALBATOR works: Clearing space junk without contact
Unlike current orbital debris removal methods that use nets, robotic arms, or harpoons, ALBATOR’s technology does not make physical contact with the hazardous junk.
The ECR-Based Multicharged Ion Beam for Active Debris Removal and Other Remediation Strategies utilises a high-powered ion beam created by an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source.
When directed at a piece of space debris, the ion stream transfers small amounts of momentum, gradually shifting the object’s orbit over time.
This process can safely guide debris toward re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, allowing it to burn up, or move it into a “graveyard orbit” away from busy satellite routes. By avoiding direct touch, ALBATOR lowers the risk of generating new debris, which can occur if a “catch attempt” fails.
European partnership behind the ALBATOR initiative
The project is managed by Osmos X, a French start-up specialising in plasma propulsion systems for uncrewed spacecraft expected to launch around 2030.
ALBATOR also includes a strong network of European academic and industrial partners. Spain’s Universidad Carlos III de Madrid provides advanced plasma modelling.
Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, manages plasma beam diagnostics. The University of Kiel focuses on how the beams interact with various materials, while NorthStar Earth & Space Luxembourg, part of a Canadian firm, offers space situational awareness expertise for planning safe rendezvous and manoeuvres in orbit.
“Space debris poses a growing threat to the safety and sustainability of global space operations,” said Stewart Bain, CEO of NorthStar Earth & Space.
“ALBATOR showcases the strength of European collaboration in developing innovative technologies, and NorthStar is proud to contribute our expertise to ensure these solutions are deployed safely and effectively,” Bain noted.
The programme was formally selected and funded in June 2025 under the EIC Pathfinder scheme, which supports early-stage technologies with the potential to open new markets. It will last for three and a half years, concluding in February 2029.
Inside the technology: Ion Beam Shepherd concept revived
At the core of ALBATOR is an updated version of the Ion Beam Shepherd concept, a technique proposed by European researchers more than a decade ago. The idea is to place a “shepherd” spacecraft near a target object and use its ion beam to apply a slow, continuous push.
A second propulsion system on the shepherd counterbalances the recoil, keeping it steady while it works.
Engineers involved in the project are designing and testing a new ECR-based ion source, conducting plasma-material interaction studies, and developing mission software to simulate real-life de-orbiting and detumbling scenarios.
All findings will go into a public database and open-source simulation platform to promote further research and training in space propulsion and debris management.
Mounting threat from orbital debris and atmospheric pollution
Scientists stress that the urgency of removing debris is growing faster than new solutions can be created.
A NOAA-supported study released earlier this year predicted that by 2040, debris re-entering Earth’s atmosphere could equal the mass of natural meteoric dust from space, thereby increasing pollution in upper layers.
Other studies have found that as satellites burn up while re-entering, they release metallic particles and soot into the stratosphere and mesosphere.
The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics estimates around 900 tonnes of spacecraft material vaporise in the upper atmosphere each year, about five per cent of the total meteoric input. Much of this debris contains aluminium, which forms alumina when burned.
Alumina is highly reflective and can disrupt the ozone layer, leading to what researchers call an “accidental geoengineering experiment,” an unintentional change to Earth’s upper atmosphere.
“We’re introducing materials into parts of the atmosphere where they were never meant to be, and we don’t yet know the long-term chemical effects,” warned Prof. Eloise Marais, an atmospheric chemist at University College London.
Growing international commitment to preserving orbital space
While ALBATOR’s ion-beam system is one of the most ambitious, it is not the only method being explored. Researchers in Japan have also built a bi-directional plasma ejection thruster that can slow down debris by firing plasma streams at it while counteracting the recoil with an opposing jet.
Laboratory tests using an innovative “cusp” magnetic field increased the deceleration force threefold compared to earlier systems, possibly clearing some debris within 100 days. By using argon gas, which is inexpensive and plentiful, these systems offer a cost-effective and scalable way to remove debris without the risk of collision.
Although ALBATOR remains in the research phase, with no set date for an in-orbit demonstration, supporters of the project believe it could lead to the first truly contactless debris removal system.
“By avoiding the risks involved in capture or docking, ALBATOR aims to provide a safer and more versatile solution to one of the greatest challenges facing space sustainability: the proliferation of debris in Earth’s orbit,” NorthStar officials said.
