A video released by the Space Force "demands action" on space trash and appeals for private sector assistance in clearing up the expanding space mess.

The video was posted on the Space Force's SpaceWERX website (its technology branch) on Jan. 5 to promote Orbital Prime, a program that seeks to test an on-orbit system in two to four years. The first request for proposals is due on February 17th.

"Space debris demands action and provides an opportunity for partnership in the search for innovative solutions to recycle, reuse or remove these objects," said Vice Chief of Space Operations Lt. Gen. David Thompson in the video.

According to NASA, the Space Force's request for collaborations comes only weeks after Russia's anti-satellite test in November produced so much debris that the probability of strikes on the International Space Station has grown significantly.

In November, the crew of the orbiting complex was compelled to take refuge in their return vessel while ground control, in collaboration with the Department of Defense, assesses or dodges debris.

By exploring in-orbit debris removal technology, the Space Force seeks to solve more general space junk challenges in low-Earth orbit. Phase 1 awards are worth $250,000, while Phase 2 awards are worth $1.5 million.

“Our vision in this partnership is to aggressively explore those capabilities today, in the hope that we and others can purchase them as a service in the future,” Thompson said in the video.

While there are over 20,000 trackable bits of space debris, the Space Force is also concerned about the quantity of tiny particles (such as screws or paint specks) that cannot be tracked.

Industry experts have cited the growth of large-scale satellite constellations as another possible danger to space debris mitigation, citing SpaceX's Starlink constellation as an example, which has created multiple near-misses in recent months.

“Our goal through Orbital Prime," Thompson said, "is to partner with innovative minds in industry, academia and research institutions to advance and apply state of the art technology and operating concepts in the areas of debris mitigation and removal."