It's a jangle up there

In the crowded skies, watch out;

There are nearly 2,000 commercial and government satellites orbiting the Earth.

However, they face up to 200 threats a day from debris as small as a fingernail given they are travelling at speeds of about 17,500 miles an hour.

It is estimated that there are 300,000 pieces of space junk ranging from one-centimetre to the size of bowling balls, and that on average one satellite is destroyed each year.

The Australians saw a need, and are filling it;

US defence giant Lockheed Martin has struck a deal with an Australian technology firm to track space debris that can damage satellites.

It has signed a "strategic co-operation agreement" with Canberra-based Electro Optic Systems (EOS) to build a new tracking station in Western Australia.

The site will employ advanced optical and laser technology to detect, track and identify specific space objects.

Which is cost effective;

EOS chief executive Dr Ben Greene says that they have invested 80m Australian dollars ($74,6m; £45m) into developing their light-based technology systems, which have become cheaper than the use of radar.