Space agencies are planning to use origami to find a sustainable solution to space debris

The research explores how folded paper could be a key component for sustainable spacecraft.
PUBLISHED JUL 17, 2025
Illustration of space junk orbiting the Earth (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty | MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)
Illustration of space junk orbiting the Earth (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty | MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)

A new study by Japanese researchers proposes a surprising solution to the growing problem of space debris: paper planes. Published in Acta Astronautica, the research explores using folded paper as a key component for sustainable spacecraft, which could burn up harmlessly upon re-entry, leaving no harmful waste behind. This unconventional approach aims to address the clutter of defunct satellites and rocket parts currently crowding low Earth orbit, per Phys.org

Since the late 1950s, the amount of junk in orbit around the Earth has escalated dramatically (Representative Image Source: Getty | MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)
Since the late 1950s, the amount of junk in orbit around the Earth has escalated dramatically (Representative Image Source: Getty | MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)

The study's authors, Maximilien Berthet and Kojiro Suzuki from the University of Tokyo, used computer simulations and physical models to test their theory. Their simulations showed that a paper plane launched from the International Space Station could remain stable for four days before beginning to tumble as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere. The researchers predicted that the plane would ultimately burn up between 90 and 110 kilometers in altitude due to intense aerodynamic heating. 

Illustration of an unmanned spacecraft using a tethered net to catch and remove space debris from Earth orbit (Representative Image Source: Getty | MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)
Illustration of an unmanned spacecraft using a tethered net to catch and remove space debris from Earth orbit (Representative Image Source: Getty | MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)

To validate their feelings, Berthet and Suzuki built a physical model of their plane and tested it in a hypersonic wind tunnel. The paper plane, which had an aluminum tail, was subjected to conditions mimicking atmospheric re-entry. Although the model experienced some bending and charring, it did not disintegrate, suggesting that a paper-based craft could endure the initial stages of re-entry before burning up completely. This research, which draws inspiration from the traditional Japanese art of origami, presents a novel way to combat space junk. The potential for paper-based spacecraft to be used for data collection and other missions without contributing to space debris offers a new path forward for more environmentally friendly space exploration.

While disposable paper airplanes may not seem like a useful tool for space exploration, the research team highlights this very quality as a significant advantage. The plane's sensitivity to atmospheric drag allows it to act as a passive probe for measuring air density. By analyzing the plane's orbital motions, scientists can reverse-engineer air density data. The low cost of these "paper space planes" means that multiple probes could be deployed simultaneously and at regular intervals, providing a new way to conduct distributed measurements of the low-Earth atmosphere, as mentioned on IFL Science

Beyond the Earth's atmosphere, a massive and dangerous junkyard has formed in low Earth orbit (LEO). This area is now filled with millions of pieces of human-generated space junk, or "orbital debris," including discarded rocket parts, defunct satellites, and tiny flecks of paint, according to NASA. Traveling at speeds up to 18,000 miles per hour, nearly seven times the speed of a bullet, the debris poses a significant risk to active satellites and future space missions. The problem has worsened dramatically in recent years. Two specific events, the 2007 destruction of the Chinese Fengyun-1C spacecraft and a 2009 collision between American and russian satellites, alone increased the amount of large orbital debris in LEO by an estimated 70%. 

With an estimated 6,000 tons of material now orbiting the planet, LEO has become a cosmic garbage dump. The high cost of removal and the absence of international laws to govern cleanup efforts have made managing the issue a monumental challenge. While NASA's Orbital Debris Program, established in 1979, works to track and mitigate space junk, the responsibility ultimately falls on every country with spacefaring capabilities. The management of this debris is a shared challenge and a collective opportunity to preserve the space environment for generations to come. 

MORE STORIES

The rocky exoplanet GJ 251 c, estimated to be nearly four times the mass of Earth, has been classified as a 'super-Earth.'
2 days ago
Zeroing in on the Circinus Galaxy, located just 13 million light-years away, the research team meticulously analyzed archival data captured by ALMA.
Oct 14, 2025
An international research collective has serendipitously discovered an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG), a system intensely forming stars, hidden behind the distant and well-known Cloverleaf quasar, H1413+117.
Oct 13, 2025
Researchers focused on the quasar OJ287, an intensely bright galactic core whose erratic light patterns had long suggested the presence of a pair of orbiting black holes.
Oct 10, 2025
The asteroid's orbit is highly elliptical (stretched-out), causing it to take approximately 2.65 years (967 days) to complete one trip around the Sun.
Oct 9, 2025
On February 13, 2023, the KM3NeT underwater telescope registered the high-energy 'ghost particle.'
Oct 8, 2025
These curious rings, gigantic and faint radio emissions surrounding galaxies, are a newly recognized astronomical phenomenon first detected only six years ago.
Oct 3, 2025
Astronomers achieved the stunning observation using the European Southern Observatory’s VLT in Chile, with the James Webb Space Telescope providing crucial supplementary data.
Oct 3, 2025
For the first time ever, an international research team has produced a time-lapse video capturing the dynamic action inside a planet-forming region.
Sep 26, 2025
Hidden asteroids sharing Venus's orbit are currently undetectable by our best telescopes because of their unique, sun-obscured positions and paths.
Sep 24, 2025