'Catastrophic avalanche' of space junk could wipe out satellites within years

By Bridie Smith
Updated June 1 2016 - 2:13pm, first published May 31 2016 - 9:39pm
An artist's impression of space junk orbiting the Earth. <i>Illustration: Johan Swanepoel</i>
An artist's impression of space junk orbiting the Earth. <i>Illustration: Johan Swanepoel</i>
The International Space Station is the largest object ever constructed by humans in space.  Photo: NASA
The International Space Station is the largest object ever constructed by humans in space. Photo: NASA