A team of scientists in Australia are preparing to fire high-powered lasers into space to blast some of the 170 million pieces of man-made debris orbiting the earth.
That cosmic clutter, building up since successful satellite launches began in 1957, poses a constant threat to satellites, spacecraft and people.
While firing lasers into space sounds like science fiction, scientists say the technology plays a very real role in keeping our planet safe by gently nudging the debris from one orbit into another.
Al Jazeera’s Mereana Hond takes aim.
