There are more than planets and stars in space. There's also a lot of junk, more than 9,000 metric tons worth as of 2022, according to NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office. It includes things like satellites that are no longer in use and debris that is intentionally discharged during space missions. As space exploration grows, so does the amount of debris, which could eventually pose a risk to Earth.

ClearSpace wants to fix that problem. The company's founder and CEO Luc Piguet tells Asking for a Trend's Josh Lipton the company is developing a "robotic capture system" that basically functions as a tow truck to remove large pieces of space debris from orbit.

Piguet explains that even though newer satellites are designed to fall back to Earth safely, there are ways ClearSpace can help extend the satellite's lifecycle. He notes that it takes a lot of propellant to de-orbit a satellite safely. Instead of using that propellant on de-orbiting, he says, that propellant can be used to extend the life of the satellite and then ClearSpace's services can be used to help it de-orbit safely.

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This post was written by Stephanie Mikulich.