Story highlights Japanese scientists are developing a system to capture and remove space debris

They plan to use magnets to catch and force debris down to burn up in Earth's atmosphere

This feature is part of Vision Japan, a series about the visionaries who are changing Japan, and the places that inspire this innovation. See more here.

(CNN) Japan's Space Sweepers are taking it upon themselves to do a little spring cleaning in space.

One hundred and seventy million pieces of space debris currently orbit the Earth, according to estimates from the European Space Agency (ESA). Defunct satellites and other man-made objects rocket around the atmosphere at eight kilometers per second -- 10 times faster than a bullet.

Some chunks are as big as a truck, others smaller than a dime. But even the tiniest piece of cosmic junk poses an enormous threat to other satellites and spacecraft.

A collision with a one centimeter speck of space debris at orbital velocity, for example, has the equivalent energy force of an exploding hand grenade, according to Heiner Klinkrad, head of the space debris office at the ESA.

When an accident like this occurs, fragments scatter around space, increasing the risk of further accidents.

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