What measures are already being take to avoid space debris – and which ones need to be taken in the future?
Spacecraft operators are currently focusing their efforts on controlling the space debris environment. The ultimate goal is to prevent a collisional cascading process from setting in over the next few decades. Initial steps aim at reducing the generation of hazardous debris by avoiding in-orbit explosions or collisions with operational spacecraft, and by removing spacecraft from densely populated altitude regions at the end of their mission. These measures can stabilise the environment in the short term. In the long term, the existing in-orbit mass, which fuels the collisional cascading process, must be removed. This can be most efficiently done by (costly) space debris remediation activities that actively remove old spacecraft and rocket stages, in which most of the mass is concentrated. Long-term environment projections indicate that this is a mandatory step to maintain the space debris at a safe level for future space operations. Q12: Are there any international agreements covering
Spacecraft operators are currently focusing their efforts on controlling the space debris environment. The ultimate goal is to prevent a collisional cascading process from setting in over the next few decades. Initial steps aim at reducing the generation of hazardous debris by avoiding in-orbit explosions or collisions with operational spacecraft, and by removing spacecraft from densely populated altitude regions at the end of their mission. These measures can stabilise the environment in the short term. In the long term, the existing in-orbit mass, which fuels the collisional cascading process, must be removed. This can be most efficiently done by (costly) space debris remediation activities that actively remove old spacecraft and rocket stages, in which most of the mass is concentrated. Long-term environment projections indicate that this is a mandatory step to maintain the space debris at a safe level for future space operations. Q12: Are there any international agreements covering
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