Orbit needs a cleanup crew.
Dead satellites, spent rocket bodies and fragments now share orbit with the infrastructure the world runs on. Standard SpaceWorX is building the company that removes them, priced per object and sold on contract.
objects tracked in orbit right now.
Around 54,000 pieces are larger than 10 cm. Around 1.2 million are between 1 and 10 cm, each one fast enough to end a satellite.uncooperative objects have ever been removed. That is the job.
A decade. A billion dollars. Nothing removed.
Every mission flown or contracted so far is a one-off demonstration that ends with its first target. The heaviest derelicts stay up for centuries, and one collision between two of them would flood the most valuable orbits on Earth with fragments.
Sources: ESA Space Environment Report 2025; NASA LEGEND (Liou and Johnson); McKnight et al.
Removal priced as a service, not a science project.
Navigation, communications, weather, defense, finance and a fast-growing orbital data center industry all run through the same few hundred kilometers of altitude. That infrastructure shares space with objects that cannot be steered, cannot be turned off and will not come down on their own.
Standard SpaceWorX turns debris removal from a one-time government experiment into a standing commercial service: a known price per object, a capability that stays on station, and contracts operators, insurers and governments can actually buy.
The FCC five-year disposal rule has been binding since September 2024. ESA is driving toward zero debris by 2030. Insurers now price disposal reliability. The demand is being written into law. The supply does not exist yet.
From the ground to orbit.
We retire the hardest risk on the ground first, before we ask anyone to pay for a launch.
Formation
Company formed, federal contractor registration, intellectual property filings, non-dilutive funding applications.
Ground test
A hardware-in-the-loop testbed that proves the hardest step of the mission on the ground.
Pathfinder
First flight demonstration in low Earth orbit on a commercial rideshare.
Service
Commercial removal campaigns under contract with operators and government buyers.
Everyone with something to lose in orbit.
Satellite operators
A failed unit that cannot dispose of itself is now a license problem, an insurance event and a regulator problem. We make it go away.
Government and defense
A domestic United States removal capability for catalog objects of concern and the orbits national security depends on.
Insurers
Removal priced like a premium, not a space program, turns debris risk into something a balance sheet can manage.
Investors
Early exposure to on-orbit servicing, a market analysts size above $4.6B today and growing double digits a year.
Space debris, explained.
The numbers behind the problem, the rules driving demand, and who is working on it.
Frequently asked questions
What does Standard SpaceWorX do?
Standard SpaceWorX is a Loveland, Colorado space company building a commercial service that removes dead satellites, spent rocket bodies and other large debris from low Earth orbit, priced per object and sold on contract to satellite operators, insurers and government buyers.
What is space debris?
Space debris, also called space junk or orbital debris, is any human-made object in orbit that no longer does a useful job: dead satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from explosions and collisions. Read the full explainer on our space debris page.
How much space debris is in orbit?
More than 39,000 objects are tracked in orbit. ESA estimates roughly 54,000 pieces larger than 10 cm and about 1.2 million between 1 and 10 cm, all moving at around 7 to 8 km per second in low Earth orbit.
Has any space debris ever been removed?
Not yet. Missions so far have approached, inspected or captured cooperative test targets, and the first contracted removals of real uncooperative debris are still in development. No uncooperative object has been removed from orbit.
Who pays for space debris removal?
Satellite operators facing the FCC five year disposal rule, insurers pricing disposal risk, and governments protecting orbits they depend on. Our investor overview covers the market.
Can I invest in Standard SpaceWorX?
Standard SpaceWorX is a pre-seed company. Qualified investors can request the investor brief, which is shared under mutual NDA, through our contact page.
Clearing orbit starts with a conversation.
Investors, satellite operators, government and defense buyers, insurers and aerospace partners reach the founder directly. Program details are shared under mutual NDA.