Space Debris Solutions: Cleaning Up Earth Orbit Before It’s Too Late

Jessica Kurz
Jun 10
5 min read

Updated: Jun 27

Above us, orbit is becoming crowded. The silent expanse that once symbolized infinite possibility is now facing a man-made crisis: space debris.

We’ve long romanticized space as clean, empty, and boundless. But the reality is different. Thousands of dead satellites, discarded rocket parts, and fragments from past collisions are turning Earth’s low orbit into a dangerous junkyard. Every new satellite, every new launch, adds to the complexity — and the risk.

The race to clean up orbit is no longer optional. It’s essential. And in that challenge lies an opportunity — for science, for business, and for brands that want to lead by protecting the very frontier they seek to explore.

🌍 The Problem: A Fragile Sky Full of Forgotten Machines

Space debris is any artificial object in orbit that no longer serves a purpose. That includes:

Defunct satellites
Rocket boosters
Broken components
Paint flecks and metal shards

Individually, many are small. But traveling at speeds of up to 28,000 km/h, even a screw can cause catastrophic damage.

As of 2025:

Over 36,500 objects larger than 10 cm are actively tracked
Around 1 million are estimated between 1–10 cm
Tens of millions more are too small to track — but not too small to kill

A single collision can trigger a chain reaction of fragments — a cascading event known as Kessler Syndrome, which could render entire orbital paths unusable for decades. For a world increasingly dependent on space infrastructure, that’s more than inconvenient. It’s existential.

🚀 From Crisis to Industry: The Rise of Space Clean-Up Services

As awareness grows, so does innovation. Several companies and agencies are building the technology to track, remove, or mitigate space debris.

♻️ Astroscale (Japan)

A global leader in orbital sustainability. Their ELSA-d mission in 2021 tested magnetic capture of mock debris, followed by a simulated release and redocking. In 2024, their ADRAS-J satellite began demonstrating rendezvous maneuvers with real space junk.

Astroscale doesn’t just build satellites — they’re shaping policy, educating the public, and working with insurers to incentivize orbital responsibility.

🛠️ ClearSpace (Switzerland)

In partnership with the European Space Agency, ClearSpace is preparing a 2026 mission to capture and deorbit a spent rocket adapter. Their four-armed robotic satellite will grab, stabilize, and guide the object back into Earth’s atmosphere — a literal space claw removing hazardous trash.

🌐 LeoLabs & Other Trackers

Firms like LeoLabs, ExoAnalytic, and Slingshot Aerospace are building ground and AI-based tracking networks. Their real-time orbital maps give governments and satellite operators collision warnings, trajectory planning tools, and accountability reports.

Together, these players are forming a new industry: the orbital sanitation sector.

📈 A Market Just Beginning to Scale

Space clean-up is more than an ethical mission — it’s an economic one.

The orbital debris market is projected to surpass $5 billion annually by 2030
Insurance firms are starting to demand active deorbit plans before insuring satellites
The U.S. Space Force and ESA are planning orbital sustainability contracts for public-private cleanup partnerships
Several nations are pushing toward “zero-debris” launch regulations by 2035

This isn’t a side project. It’s the cost of doing business in space — and the next great systems challenge of the orbital age.

🌍 Why This Matters for Earth — and Everyone On It

When we talk about space debris, it’s easy to imagine the issue as something remote — a distant, technical challenge far above our heads. But the truth is, the clutter in Earth’s orbit affects almost every part of modern life. And what we do about it will define the safety and sustainability of our future in space — and on Earth.

🌐 Our Infrastructure Depends on Orbit

We often forget how much we rely on satellites — until they go offline. Today, orbital infrastructure underpins:

Global communications: From Zoom calls to satellite phones, broadband from orbit keeps billions of people connected.
Navigation and transportation: GPS supports everything from aviation to shipping to ridesharing. Without it, global logistics grinds to a halt.
Climate and weather monitoring: Earth observation satellites help us model hurricanes, track forest fires, and understand climate change — often in real time.
Disaster response: In crises, satellites are often the only way to assess damage, find survivors, and coordinate relief.
Finance and security: From timestamping financial transactions to supporting military reconnaissance, orbital systems are now embedded into core economic and defense functions.

If a debris collision takes out even one key satellite — or if a cascade blocks access to critical orbits — the ripple effects on Earth could be massive.

🛑 We’re Reaching a Tipping Point

The problem is compounding. Every launch adds more objects. Every collision creates hundreds or thousands of fragments. And while space may feel big, useful orbits are crowded and limited — especially in low Earth orbit (LEO), where most Earth-facing satellites operate.

We now face a paradox: the more valuable space becomes, the harder it is to keep it safe.

That’s why agencies like NASA and ESA are calling for “orbital sustainability policies” — and why companies, insurers, and investors are starting to factor debris risk into their decisions. Because the cost of inaction isn’t theoretical anymore — it’s practical, financial, and imminent.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 It’s About More Than Satellites — It’s About Generations

Beyond the systems and services, there’s something deeper at stake: what kind of legacy we leave behind.

Do we become a spacefaring species that treats orbit as a dumping ground?
Or do we set a precedent for stewardship, before we go further — to the Moon, Mars, and beyond?

This is a moment of choice. And it’s one that every nation, every company, and every person involved in the space economy must face.

Because space isn’t just for astronauts anymore. It’s for schoolchildren learning about Earth from satellite images. For farmers using climate data to manage crops. For first responders navigating disasters. For everyday people streaming, navigating, creating.

Clean orbit is a public good.

A human right.

And a shared responsibility.

💡 A New Marketing Frontier: Clean Space, Clear Vision

This challenge presents a powerful opportunity for storytelling. Brands that support space debris removal position themselves not just as explorers — but as stewards of the stars.

✅ Sustainability Meets Innovation

A brand known for green tech on Earth can now extend its story to orbit. Imagine a “Clean Orbit Certified” satellite label, or a solar company sponsoring a mission to deorbit a defunct weather satellite.

✅ Partnering with the Clean-Up Crew

Just as companies sponsor ocean or forest clean-up, they can back missions with space janitors like Astroscale or ClearSpace — co-funding hardware or awareness campaigns.

✅ Educational Collaborations

Align with schools and STEM orgs to create curricula and docuseries about space debris — engaging the next generation in orbital sustainability.

✅ Visual Storytelling

Show the before-and-after of orbital clutter. Use visual effects, simulations, and live feeds of deorbit burns to tell a redemptive story of space healing itself.

🧠 Advice for the Space Marketer

Make orbital care part of your core.

As the space economy expands, brands will be judged not only on how far they go — but on what they leave behind.

So:

Don’t just talk about “the future” — commit to protecting it
Link sustainability with orbital success
Champion repair, reuse, and responsible disposal in every space-related campaign

Because in the final analysis, the companies that care for space will own its future — not through conquest, but through conservation.