Japan launching 'space junk' collector 09 December 2016 - 12H05 TOKYO (AFP) - Japan will launch a cargo ship Friday bound for the International Space Station, carrying a 'space junk' collector that was made with the help of a fishnet company. The vessel, dubbed "Kounotori" (stork in Japanese), is to blast off from the southern island of Tanegashima around 10:30 pm local time (0130 GMT) attached to an H-IIB rocket. Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are experimenting with a tether to pull junk out of orbit around Earth, clearing up tonnes of space clutter including cast-off equipment...