Japan goes fishing for space junk but 700-metre 'tether' fails

Mission to clear up Earth's orbit ends after device created with a fishing net company fails to deploy

An experimental Japanese mission to clear space junk from the Earth's orbit has ended in failure, officials said on Monday, in an embarrassment for Tokyo.

More than 100m pieces of rubbish are thought to be whizzing around the planet, including cast-off equipment from old satellites and bits of rocket, which experts say could pose risks for future space exploration.