Planet Earth, space debris

Science, Technology & Human Values, 2021

Like other forms of debris in terrestrial and marine environments, space debris prompts questions about how we can live with the material remains of technological endeavors past and yet to come. Although techno-societies fundamentally rely on space infrastructures, they so far have failed to address the infrastructural challenge of debris. Only very recently has the awareness of space debris as a severe risk to both space and Earth infrastructures increased within the space community. One reason for this is the renewed momentum of interplanetary space exploration, including the colonization of the Moon and Mars, which is part of transhumanist and commercially driven dreams of the so-called New Space age. Understanding space infrastructures as inherently linked to earthly infrastructure, we attend to the ways in which space debris, a once accepted by-product of scientific-technological progress, economic interests, and geopolitics,

2020

NLUD Law Research Series, 2012

Space flight is not a random activity, but one requiring decisions and Commitments with very long lead times and very long consequences.-Albert Gore 1 According to Ulf Merbold, the first West German astronaut, our genes are like a program that continuously pushes us beyond the horizon of our experience in order to conquer new positions, finally leading us into outer space. 2 The basic nature of the human being to explore its surroundings has been transformed to the extent of the exploitation of the outer space. The historic journey of exploration, previously unknown and inaccessible realm, was started fifty three years ago with Sputnik and reached upto the uncontrolled multipurpose use (like telecommunication, strategic, research, tourism etc.) of the outer space by the different countries which raised the serious global concern. Outer Space is res communis like Antarctica and High seas, any country of the international community can use and explore it.

Handbook of space engineering, archaeology, and …, 2009

Journal of Geophysical Research, 1994

We have developed a numerical algorithm to model the future collisional evolution of the low-orbiting Earth debris population, accounting for both the wide spectrum of masses (or sizes) of the orbiting objects, and their different altitudes, which result in a variable efficiency of the drag-induced decay. The evolution process has been assumed to be caused by a number of source and sink mechanisms, such as launches, explosions, atmospheric drag, and mutual collisions. The collisional outcomes have been described through a semiempirical model for the fragment mass distributions, consistent with the available experimental evidence. A runaway exponential growth of collision fragments is always found in our model. Although its timing and pace are sensitive to some poorly known parameters, fairly plausible parameter choices predict that the runaway growth will occur within the next century, starting in the crowded shells between 700 and 1000 km of altitude and, somewhat later, between 1400 and 1500 km. The runaway growth is delayed until a few centuries in the future only if the catastrophic breakup threshold in specific impact energy for orbiting objects exceeds that for natural rocky bodies by at least a factor of 10. Our sim•ations show that the sensitivity of the results to future launch and/or deorbiting and removal policies is rather weak, so that drastic measures will need to be taken soon in order to significantly avoid or delay a catastrophic outcome.

Since the launch of the Sputnik 1 in 1957, around 8,000 man-made space objects have been launched in space. While these space objects have given us satellites and space probes which have revolutionized the way we perceive modern life and outer space, the byproduct of this process has been the creation of excessive space debris. The problem created by the uncurbed and unintentional production of space debris has been escalating in the past couple of decades and the lack of binding legislation regarding this issue is alarming news for future generations who may not be able to utilise the outer space resources that international space agencies are misusing so casually. This paper attempts to analyse the existing legislation governing space debris and the consequences of the lack of pre-emptive and corrective measures to prevent a crisis caused by space debris.

The International Journal of the Commons, 2023

Global services like navigation, communication, and Earth observation have increased dramatically in the 21st century due to advances in outer space industries. But as orbits become increasingly crowded with both satellites and inevitable space debris pollution, continued operations become endangered by the heightened risks of debris collisions in orbit. Kessler Syndrome is the term for when a critical threshold of orbiting debris triggers a runaway positive feedback loop of debris collisions, creating debris congestion that can render orbits unusable. As this potential tipping point becomes more widely recognized, there have been renewed calls for debris mitigation and removal. Here, we combine complex systems and social-ecological systems approaches to study how these efforts may affect space debris accumulation and the likelihood of reaching Kessler Syndrome. Specifically, we model how debris levels are affected by future launch rates, cleanup activities, and collisions between extant debris. We contextualize and interpret our dynamic model within a discussion of existing space debris governance and other social, economic, and geopolitical factors that may influence effective collective management of the orbital commons. In line with previous studies, our model finds that debris congestion may be reached in less than 200 years, though a holistic management strategy combining removal and mitigation actions can avoid such outcomes while continuing space activities. Moreover, although active debris removal may be particularly effective, the current lack of market and governance support may impede its implementation. Research into these critical dynamics and the multi-faceted variables that influence debris outcomes can support policymakers in curating impactful governance strategies and realistic transition pathways to sustaining debris-free orbits. Overall, our study is useful for communicating about space debris sustainability in policy and education settings by providing an exploration of policy portfolio options supported by a simple and clear social-ecological modeling approach.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 2024

The rapid accumulation of space debris has emerged as a critical threat to global satellite infrastructure, jeopardizing essential services such as communications, navigation and real-time weather forecasting, which are fundamental to effective disaster management. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the multifaceted challenges posed by space debris, focusing on collision risks, Kessler Syndrome and the inherent vulnerabilities of satellite networks. It highlights significant gaps in existing international regulatory frameworks, underscoring the urgent need for stronger global coordination. While technological interventions such as Active Debris Removal (ADR) and enhanced Space Situational Awareness (SSA) show promise, they fall short when applied alone. A sustainable solution requires an integrated approach that combines innovative technologies such as on-orbit manufacturing and self-destruction systems with policy reforms that enforce stricter debris management protocols and encourage compliance with economic measures such as debris removal credits and orbital parking fees. China, European Union, the United States and some other countries have already begun the work needed to coordinate space activities, but the breadth of these efforts and rules varies from country to country, and the lack of ownership or control of space is a problem. Given the important role of satellites in disaster response, the protection of space assets is essential to sustaining global resilience. Ensuring long-term sustainability will depend on international cooperation, binding agreements and a collective commitment to preserve the orbital environment for future generations.

2018

Space debris consists of millions of pieces of man-made material orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to several km s -1 . Although, the majority of these fragments result from the space activities of only three countries, viz. China, Russia, and the United States, yet pose a continuous threat to all assets in Earth’s orbit. Debris poses a growing threat to satellites and can prevent the use of valuable orbits in the future. Many pieces of debris are too small to monitor but too large to shield satellites against. Based on increase in space debris, certain measures have been taken to address this global issue. In particular, internationally adopted debris mitigation guidelines are reducing the introduction of new fragments into Earth’s orbit. However, there is a growing consensus within the space debris community that mitigation is insufficient to constrain the orbiting debris population. Also, ensuring a safe future for space activities will require the development and deployment of ...

With several actors entering the space scene and the skyrocketed increase in the launches, space exploration has become more complex, so does the challenges related to the threat posed by space debris. To deal with this matter, the United Nations adopted the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines, and later, the Long-Term Sustainability Guidelines. These international guidelines are non-binding and voluntary, and they open space for actors to behave towards their selfinterest. Considering that, this research aimed to analyze the issue of space debris in the context of the discussions of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) from 2006 to 2019, using a regime theory approach. The background provides relevant data on the space debris context and the legal framework of outer space. The theoretical framework describes the regime theory approach towards international cooperation, followed by a literature review of relevant works about space debris under the regime theory. This research applied thematic analysis to find relevant themes being discussed at the COPUOS, as well as new trends and contemporary issues. It was found that, although the guidelines were important milestones to regulate space debris, the outer space regime still needs to evolve in order to reach the end-to-end problem, as these are changes within the regimein its rules and procedures instead of its principles and norms. While major events and new trends were being discussed, they indirectly affected the discussions and proposals of the COPUOS over the years. The dissatisfaction of some delegations on issues such as liability towards space debris and the non-binding character of the guidelines was visible, although not leading to important changes.