Keeping space debris in check has become a national mission for the US.

The White House yesterday announced plans to share more information with other countries in a bid to prevent satellite collisions. The US will also fund research into cleaning up the space junk that's already there.

Each new US president issues a list of priorities and positions related to outer space. Many elements, such as support for space exploration, tend to stay constant from one administration to the next.

However, Barack Obama's National Space Policy includes new language on space debris, calling for the US government's orbital tracking information and collision predictions to be shared with industry and other countries – a move that some have long sought.

Pooling information with other countries should help reduce the chances of another satellite collision like one in February last year that produced thousands of pieces of high-speed debris.