60 years of space exploration has taught us a great deal about our galaxy.
But it's also left behind a growing problem.
Thousands of small objects -- and hundreds of large, defunct satellites -- are circling the planet at speeds of 15,000mph.
Space junk -- as it's known -- presents an increasing threat to astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
It also endangers the many satellites in our skies, some of which provide services like GPS.
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Space scientists from around the world will come together next week in Germany to discuss the problem.
But British engineers are already putting forward a solution -- an orbiting harpoon.
The team at Astrium say their new device will be able to spear bits of junk, before dragging them safely out of orbit.
"It's very important tht when you capture space junk you don't in fact create more debris. What we're trying to come up with is a very simple and reliable method to capture the junk." Dr Jaime Reed of Atrium.
