A few years ago, there was a panic about lithium-ion batteries that exploded and could do things like take down a jetliner. On a recent trip, an airline asked passengers to turn in any devices with batteries that had been banned because of safety concerns. These are indicators of a widely understood downside of lithium-ion batteries, ubiquitous in cell phones, laptops, and other electronic hardware—they can easily catch fire very spectacularly. However, a team at the Aerospace Company is working on an idea to turn this potentially catastrophic event into an asset—by using it to deorbit defunct satellites.

Almost all satellites have some form of battery backup in them. Many utilize it to keep the lights on, while its solar panels aren't catching enough rays to fully power the craft. And most of those batteries are some form of lithium-ion, so the industry already widely adopted the underlying technology.