The space around Earth is becoming increasingly congested, as the number of satellites and pieces of space debris grows, raising the risk of collisions.
Companies including Astroscale and ClearSpace are betting that debris removal will develop into a broader business servicing, repairing, and extending the lives of satellites.
The market is still nascent and largely government-backed, with regulation likely to play a key role in creating commercial demand.
This week, a spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage crashed into the moon, more than a year after it was left on an uncontrolled trajectory following a lunar mission.
Astroscale develops spacecraft for debris removal and other in-orbit services.
Meanwhile, ClearSpace sees debris removal as part of a potentially much larger market for inspecting, repairing, and maintaining spacecraft in orbit.
Supported by European and national space agencies, it has developed a satellite with a "claw" that can capture debris and bring it back to Earth.
The question of who is responsible for removing abandoned space hardware remains a legal grey area.
