MOSCOW, January 4 The creation of an international regulatory framework to resolve the problem of space debris is necessary, but unlikely in the current conditions, which leaves this issue to individual states, they believe experts interviewed.
According to NASA, there are more than nine thousand tons of debris in earth's orbit, including fragments of decommissioned spacecraft, parts of rockets, satellites, and waste from the International Space Station.
The European Space Agency reports more than 30 thousand fragments of space debris larger than ten centimeters in size. More than half of them are in low Earth orbit.
With the booming space industry and a record number of launches in 2023, the problem of space debris has become particularly pressing, as most new satellites are launched into the same orbits, creating a risk of collisions for both the satellites themselves and manned spacecraft.
Speaking about the problem of space debris disposal, Henry Hertzfeld, professor of international relations and space policy at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, noted that the existing agreements contain the principles and foundations of cooperation between states in space exploration, preventing harmful interference in the space programs of other states and establishing legal liability arising in the presence of guilt. The agreements, however, do not regulate how national legislation should implement these principles and ensure their implementation.
“At the moment, there is no international organization that could enforce any legal framework regarding space debris. Given the current geopolitical situation, the creation of such an organization is unlikely. For any significant result, states first need to develop a legal framework themselves on the problem of space debris,» Hertzfeld said.
The expert also noted that the biggest problem against the backdrop of the development of commercial space activities is represented by small constellations of low-orbit satellites. At the same time, space companies are trying to minimize the amount of waste produced in order to comply with the requirements of their government, as well as to successfully fulfill their own missions and keep space suitable for exploration.
Emeritus Professor at the Department of Geography and the Institute of Earth and Space Studies at the University of Western Ontario, Philippe Stuck, believes that responsibility for orbital space objects lies with the states that launched them. According to the expert, this also applies to commercial launches, since they are carried out under the control of the state, which is responsible for the activities of the operating company.
“What happens if an old rocket collides with a new satellite? I don’t know how to solve such issues. A company or state that wants to launch a satellite to remove debris from orbit cannot, from a legal point of view, influence an object owned by another state. Perhaps «, it is necessary to develop an agreement that will allow the removal of any space debris that poses a threat if there are no objections from the owner of the object,» the expert said.
When asked about the best way to limit the volume of orbital debris, as well as technologies in this area, Stuk suggested that the first priority should be to prevent the creation of debris. He noted that now the upper stage of a rocket is often removed from orbit: some are sent to a distant orbit, the Moon, solar orbit, or burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
«Combustion in the atmosphere has long been considered an effective method of disposal, but recently there have been suggestions that as a result, small particles remain in the upper part of the atmosphere, and this is not entirely good… The solar orbit option is also not the best solution, because in this case the garbage does not disappear anywhere. After a few years, it returns and circulates in the Earth-Moon system,» Stuk explained.
The expert believes that the best solution would be to smash the fragments onto the surface of the Moon to remove them from outer space forever, thus making them useful for the lunar industry in the future.
Martin Barstow, professor of astrophysics and space science at the University of Leicester, expressed doubts that the problem could be solved using technology. In his opinion, humanity will not soon be able to systematically and safely get rid of even a small amount of space debris, despite the rapidly growing number of objects in orbit.
«It may be necessary to impose some restrictions on what an individual company or state can launch into space. At the moment, the issue is poorly developed from a legal point of view, and control is given to the organizations responsible for launches in a particular state. Cooperation between They will be important to ensure that jurisdictions do not go beyond what is considered international norms,” Barstow said.
Given the complexity of developing an international agreement at the UN and the time required for its implementation in practice, the expert does not expect progress in this matter.
«It seems to me that one way to introduce some kind of control in this area would be financial mechanisms such as insurance and liability. However, once again, there needs to be agreement from the international community on how this will all happen «, Barstow noted.
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