SpaceX Has Launched an Experimental Space Junk Sweeper Into Orbit

Space may be about to get a lot less cluttered.

A Monday launch by SpaceX, Elon Musk's private aerospace company, saw a Falcon 9 rocket lift off from Florida packed with three tons of supplies for the International Space Station (ISS). But the launch — the firm's 53rd to date — also carried some unconventional cargo: an experimental system known as RemoveDEBRIS, which scientists hope will help clean up Earth's space junk-littered upper atmosphere, [f500link]CBS[/f500link] reports.