The Reality of Space Tractor Beams

Aerospace engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder are developing a plan to use tractor beams to remove space debris from orbit around Earth. The team is using electrostatic forces to create an attractive or repulsive force to move debris without touching it. The researchers are working to solve challenges such as the unpredictability of debris movement and the different plasma environments in different regions of space. The team hopes to launch a prototype electrostatic tractor into space in the next five to 10 years.