The US government has issued its first ever fine for space junk.

BBC News says the Federal Communications Commission fined Dish Network $150,000 for failing to move an old satellite far enough away from others in use.

It says the company also admitted liability over its EchoStar-7 satellite and agreed to a “compliance plan” with the FCC.

Space junk is made up bits of tech that are in orbit around the Earth but are no longer in use.

They include things like old satellites and parts of spacecraft., and pose a risk of collisions.

Dish was meant to move the satellite 186 miles further from Earth, but at the end of its life in 2022 had moved it only 76 miles after it lost fuel.