Since 1957, more than 5 250 rocket launches have led to more than 23 000 tracked objects in orbit around Earth. Only about 1 200 are working satellites – the rest are debris. In March 2018, a prototype space “litter picker” designed by the University of Surrey was sent to the International Space Station. The tiny spaceship will perform two experiments to deploy and then capture a small ‘cubesat’ satellite, first using a net, and then using a harpoon. If it works it could be sent up to clear Earth’s orbit of dangerous debris. (http://bit.ly/2DfW1K1)