Orbital Debris Hazards and Mitigation Strategies - Public Policy

The risk of collision of man-made orbital debris with spacecraft in near Earth orbits continues to increase. Since the dawn of the space age there have been about 4000 launches into Earth orbit that have created about 26,000 known objects in orbit from spacecraft explosions, breakups, and parts separation. Nearly 10,000 of these objects remain in orbit and are tracked. Thousands of debris particles too small to track are also in Earth orbit. In the next decade we may see 2000 additional spacecraft launched into orbit. Without debris mitigation measures, orbital debris growth will impose undesirable safety and economic consequences on near Earth space operations. As we enter the next millennium, AIAA believes the time has come for international actions to establish regulations for mitigation of orbital debris hazards.

Orbital operations are inherently global and operate in the public domain of space. All space-faring nations and agencies need to cooperate in orbital debris mitigation practices. Compliance is needed uniformly. Ultimately, standard practices and enforcement appear necessary. A laissez faire approach to orbital debris mitigation based on general guidelines and a “good neighbor” policy is unlikely to succeed.

This report summarizes the current and projected status of orbital debris hazards. It also highlights interagency and international activities. AIAA will join with other professional societies, such as the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), to facilitate and support international agreements on space debris mitigation.