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.

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.