▁or bits , ▁launch ers ▁would ▁rende z vous ▁with , ▁capture ▁and ▁de - or bit ▁a ▁der el ict ▁satellite ▁from ▁approximately ▁the ▁same ▁orb ital ▁plane . ▁Another ▁possibility ▁is ▁the ▁robot ic ▁ref uel ing ▁of ▁sat ell ites . ▁Exper iments ▁have ▁been ▁flow n ▁by ▁NASA , ▁and ▁Space X ▁is ▁developing ▁large - scale ▁on - or bit ▁prop ell ant ▁transfer ▁technology . ▁ ▁Another ▁approach ▁to ▁de br is ▁mit ig ation ▁is ▁to ▁explicitly ▁design ▁the ▁mission ▁architecture ▁to ▁always ▁leave ▁the ▁ro cket ▁second - stage ▁in ▁an ▁elli pt ical ▁ge oc ent ric ▁orbit ▁with ▁a ▁low - per ige e , ▁thus ▁ens uring ▁rapid ▁orb ital ▁decay ▁and ▁avoid ing ▁long - term ▁orb ital ▁de br is ▁from ▁spent ▁ro cket ▁bodies . ▁Such ▁miss ions ▁will ▁often ▁complete ▁the ▁payload ▁pla cement ▁in ▁a ▁final ▁orbit ▁by ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁low - th rust ▁electric ▁prop ulsion ▁or ▁with ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁a ▁small ▁kick ▁stage ▁to ▁circular ize ▁the ▁orbit . ▁The ▁kick ▁stage ▁itself ▁may ▁be ▁designed ▁with ▁the ▁excess - prop ell ant ▁cap ability ▁to ▁be ▁able ▁to ▁self - de or bit . ▁ ▁Self - rem oval ▁ ▁Although ▁the ▁IT U ▁requires ▁ge ost ation ary ▁sat ell ites ▁to ▁move ▁to ▁a ▁gra vey ard ▁orbit ▁at ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁their ▁lives , ▁the ▁selected ▁orb ital ▁areas ▁do ▁not ▁sufficiently ▁protect ▁G E O ▁lan es ▁from