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Tech & Science
For the first time, scientists are using ground-based LiDAR to track how space debris burns up and pollutes the upper atmosphere.
For the first time, scientists are using ground-based laser technology to observe the erosion of space debris in Earth's atmosphere. The technique, known as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), uses laser beams for remote sensing to measure distances and movement in real time, and researchers are now gathering observational evidence that it can track this process.
At the 2026 European Geosciences Union conference in Vienna, Michael Gerding, a scientist from the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) at the University of Rostock in Kühlungsborn, Germany, presented the findings. "Lithium is a highly relevant element for studying anthropogenic influences on the middle atmosphere due to its widespread use in the space industry," Gerding explained. He added, "The ablation of satellites and returning rocket stages is expected to become a major source of metals in the mesosphere, but systematic observations are still limited."
Gerding shared the initial results from a new, three-channel, multi-species LiDAR system. The IAP designed this instrument specifically to search for materials expected from the ablation of returning space debris, including copper, aluminum oxide, and hydrogen fluoride—a propellant used in some rocket engines.
According to the IAP's website, "These materials, which occur naturally only in minute quantities at these altitudes, affect the mesosphere and upper stratosphere to a degree that has not been documented before, and this impact is expected to increase in the coming years."
The institute revealed that the surge in satellite launches, particularly large constellations in low Earth orbit, is changing the composition of the upper atmosphere. Another IAP scientist, Robin Wing, is working on developing the new LiDAR system. "We have carried out test measurements and are currently working on improving some subsystems," Wing stated. He noted that the device includes a scanning channel that systematically searches for each element of a spacecraft, with copper being the primary target.
