With the increasing crowding of low Earth orbit, the collision risk of space debris has threatened satellite operation and space mission safety. A Japanese research team has developed a new type of plasma thruster and proposed an innovative non-contact high-efficiency space debris removal technology, which is expected to break through the limitations of existing cleaning methods. The relevant results were published in the latest issue of Scientific Reports. The problem of space debris is becoming increasingly severe, with a large number of abandoned satellites, rocket debris, and small fragments orbiting the Earth at speeds far exceeding bullets, posing a serious threat to active satellites and spacecraft. The research team from Tohoku University in Japan pointed out that these uncontrolled fragments significantly increase the risk of sustainable human space activities. Although most cleaning solutions currently rely on direct contact, there is a risk of being entangled by debris, and the new method of using plasma thrusters to slow down and detach from orbit is becoming a research hotspot. The research team has proposed and validated an innovative solution this time. This method slows down the speed of space debris by removing the plasma emitted by satellites, causing it to leave orbit and burn up completely upon re-entry into the atmosphere. However, traditional one-way jetting can generate strong recoil, causing the cleared satellite to deviate from the target and weakening the deceleration effect. To this end, they developed a "bidirectional plasma jet type electrodeless plasma thruster" that can simultaneously jet two plasma streams in the direction of space debris and in the opposite direction to counteract the recoil force and maintain the stability of the cleared satellite. To enhance deceleration efficiency, the team also introduced a special magnetic field structure called "sharp point" to constrain the plasma plume and prevent its diffusion. In the vacuum tube experiment simulating the space environment, the system not only achieved self balance, but also increased the deceleration force by three times compared to previous research reports. In addition, the propulsion system uses inexpensive and abundant argon gas as the working fluid, which has good economy and practicality. The team stated that this breakthrough provides an important technological path for efficiently and safely removing space debris. (New Society)