Engineers from the University of Colorado Boulder are attempting to develop a tractor-beam inspired machine for pulling space junk from Earth’s orbit.

An early design concept of the tractor-beam inspired machine, dubbed an electrostatic tractor, would reportedly be capable of moving a several-ton object — a defunct satellite, for instance — to a higher satellite graveyard orbit or de-orbit the objects entirely.

The researchers suggest that theoretically, the technology would involve a beam of electrons fired at space debris from 50 ft to 90 ft away, thereby inducing a negative charge in the debris while generating a positive charge in the vessel holding the laser device. Consequently, the two objects would gradually attract, causing the space junk to move.

"With that attractive force, you can essentially tug away the debris without ever touching it," the researchers explained. "It acts like what we call a virtual tether."

Yet despite the promise this technology holds for potentially one day solving the issue of space debris traveling around Earth at incredibly high speeds and colliding with various other objects, there is currently an issue with the speed at which the electrostatic tractor moves: for now, the new tractor beam technology can only move at 200 miles for two or three months.