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SPACE junk has so far evaded even the most imaginative of tax collectors. But fining offenders could slash orbital debris.

The hazard posed by debris was shown on 10 February, when a defunct Russian satellite destroyed a US communications satellite.

Such collisions can be avoided if nations dispose of satellites safely, either by parking them in “graveyard” orbits or burning them up in Earth’s atmosphere. But take-up of these methods is far from universal.

“Space tidiness could be improved by fining those that do not dispose of satellites safely”

An international framework to fine countries that fail to do…

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