TLDR: 'Space junk' needn't just be tracked & dodged, or de-orbited; some of its materials & mass could be repurposed to remain of use in orbit. In particular, s

TLDR: 'Space junk' needn't just be tracked & dodged, or de-orbited; some of its materials & mass could be repurposed to remain of use in orbit. In particular, some large existing masses that would otherwise need to be safely de-orbited, like the ISS, could become anchors for the 'skyhook' method of moving other payloads from high-altitude into orbit, via long tethers extending downward from the anchors.