SAFEGUARDING THE CELESTIAL REALM: EVALUATING THE LEGAL FRAMEWORKS FOR SPACE DEBRIS MITIGATION

AUTHOR – UPANSHU SHETTY, STUDENT AT DR. RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

BEST CITATION – UPANSHU SHETTY, SAFEGUARDING THE CELESTIAL REALM: EVALUATING THE LEGAL FRAMEWORKS FOR SPACE DEBRIS MITIGATION, ILE LEX SPECULUM (ILE LS), 1 (1) OF 2023, PG. 385-390, APIS – 3920 – 0036 | ISBN – 978-81-964391-3-2.

ABSTRACT

The exploration and utilization of outer space have significantly expanded over the past few decades, driven by technological advancements and the pursuit of scientific knowledge. These have immensely helped society, and people of all strata of the society. From people in remote areas having access to the internet to powered tech innovations like connected cars^[1] and Observation satellites once man reached space even the sky wasn’t the limit. However, this increased space activity has also led to an alarming consequence: space debris. Space debris refers to defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, fragments from collisions, and other remnants of human space activities that clutter Earth’s orbit.^[2] Space debris can be categorized by how it is created. About twenty percent of trackable debris is “inactive payloads,” primarily consisting of inactive satellites that are no longer controllable.^[3] About twenty-six percent of trackable debris is “operational debris,” which includes intact objects launched with a prior space mission such as “fuel tanks, insulation panels, sewage, rocket bodies, bolts and straps.”^[4] These objects pose a significant threat to active satellites, spacecraft, and future space missions as the risk of collision increases day by day. Addressing the issue of space debris requires effective legal and policy frameworks at both the international and national levels. This article aims to analyse the existing legal and policy frameworks for space debris mitigation, focusing on their effectiveness, limitations, and potential improvements.

---

[1] ESA – How space is connecting cars

[2] Space Debris: Threat to Our Space Environment – satdh (cmsodi.github.io)

[3] Gabrielle Hollingsworth, Space Junk: Why the United Nations Must Step in to Save Access to Space, SANTA CLARA L. REV. 239, 242 (2013)

[4] ibid