The International Space Station (ISS) is moving around its orbit at 17,000 mph. It has to care for a lot of factors to avoid any collision as space debris can cause it a lot of damage, leading to major consequences.

The ISS often has to change its course in order to ensure that it does not encounter space debris left from previous missions. As per NASA, there is around 3,000 tons of space debris in low-earth orbit. Then, there is another belt of space debris above earth in geo-synchronous orbit.

A group of Japanese researchers have come up with a solution to deal with the menace. The researchers have recommended the use of laser to blast the debris before it causes any sort of damage to the ISS.

Space junk comprises of old satellites, used rockets and pieces formed due to collision and disintegration. NASA monitors the space junk that is at least two inches wide. As per NASA, it takes care of more than 19,000 larger pieces and there are around 300,000 chunks of space debris.

Experts affirmed the pieces are small, but they are capable enough to cause significant damage to the station. Whenever there is an event of an advanced warning of an impact, the ISS shifts its course a bit and in the meanwhile, the crew hides in an escape pod capable of returning to earth.

Study’s lead researcher Toshikazu Ebisuzaki said that Japan is planning to install Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO) to the ISS in 2017. The observatory’s main task will be to monitor the skies for cosmic rays.

The observatory could monitor the space debris to be targeted by a Coherent Amplification Network (CAN) laser.