Haunted by a space flight accident that claimed the life of his beloved wife, Yuri finds himself six years later as part of a team of debris cleaners on a vessel called the Toy Box charged with clearing space junk from space flight paths. The team consists of Hachimaki, a hot shot debris-man with a sailor's affinity for the orbital ocean; Fee, a chain-smoking tomboy beauty with an abrasive edge; and Pops, a veteran orbital mechanic whose avuncular presence soothes the stress of the job. (Source: TokyoPop)

Planetes was first published in English by Tokyopop from October 7, 2003 to February 8, 2005. Their release contained 5 volumes as they had split volume 4 into two books. Dark Horse republished the series in two omnibus volumes on December 22, 2015 and May 3, 2016, respectively, and later as a hardcover omnibus deluxe edition since July 29, 2025. The series was also published in Brazilian Portuguese by Panini Comics/Planet Manga from May 2015 to November 2015. The series was the winner of the 2002 Seiun Award for Best Comic in science fiction.