OthnielIf you’ve ever been outside and looked up at the sky, you know many objects are floating around in space. But what you might not know is that most of these objects aren’t natural ones—they are space debris, either left over from past human activity or created by humans in the present or future (for example, some countries are developing technology to destroy asteroids that threaten Earth).
Space junk is becoming increasingly severe as human activity in low-Earth orbit has steadily increased. Currently, there are over 18,000 pieces of dangerous space debris—as small as a grain of sand or as large as a bus—orbiting Earth at speeds of up to 17,500 miles per hour. According to NASA, over 27,000 pieces of orbital debris, or "space junk," are tracked by the Department of Defense’s global Space Surveillance Network (SSN) sensors. Much more debris—too small to be tracked but large enough to threaten human spaceflight and robotic missions—exists in the near-Earth space environment (Mark Garcia (ed.) 2021). Every year, an estimated 100 million new pieces of orbital debris are created from collisions between old satellite parts and other defunct space objects. While most of these pieces burn up as they reenter Earth’s atmosphere, they still pose a threat to active spacecraft. The International Space Station (ISS) is particularly vulnerable because it orbits at about 28,000 kilometres per hour—roughly 8 km/s or 17,500 miles per hour faster than anything else circling our planet.
Naturally, there is concern that a collision between two or more of these fragments could cause a chain reaction and create even more dangerous material in orbit around our planet. This would be bad news for all satellites currently in orbit, including those used for weather forecasting, GPS navigation, and communications. The good news is that scientists have begun developing ways to prevent collisions from occurring—and we’re already seeing some progress in making sure space stays safe for future generations.
The dangers of space debris
Space has become more popular and crowded in recent years, which is great—but it’s also made it easier for debris from satellites and rockets to pose a threat. The biggest problem comes when two large objects collide; if one is travelling at around 7 miles per second (12 km/s), even a tiny particle can cause catastrophic damage. In 2009, an Iridium satellite collided with a Russian Cosmos satellite (Brian Weeden 2010); each was only about 60 cm long, but they still caused over $100 million worth of damage. As many as 50% of all spacecraft failures are due to collisions or other space debris impacts. There have been many efforts to address these issues, including NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office and ESA’s Space Debris Office. These offices monitor orbiting objects, assess potential risks, and work with national governments on solutions.
China’s first space station and its implications
Tiangong-1, China’s space station, was designed to remain in orbit until 2022 when it would burn up on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. However, Harvard University researchers estimated that only 60% of Tiangong-1 would burn up upon re-entry; 40% was expected to survive and fall back down to Earth as debris. In April 2018, Tiangong 1 burned up over the Pacific Ocean after completing its mission (Space.com 2018). Since then, China has launched many satellites, but none has posed a significant risk to other countries or areas.
However, as more countries launch their satellites and manned missions, issues like these are likely to arise again. This raises an important question: what should we do if there’s a chance a spacecraft might crash back down onto our planet? The answer lies in international law regarding outer space.
Outer Space Treaty
In 1967, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2222 (XXI) established principles for international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, including preventing harmful contamination from extraterrestrial objects. In 1979, UN Member States signed another agreement—the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects—which establishes standards for liability if a nation or organization launches an object that damages other nations or organizations.
The Outer Space Treaty represents the basic legal framework of international space law and is frequently invoked as being among the foundational international space law treaties. The treaty explicitly prohibits any government from claiming sovereignty over outer space or any celestial body. It exclusively limits itself to simply stating that outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, use or occupation, or any other means. This has been interpreted as prohibiting private ownership of the extraterrestrial real estate.
However, there are no provisions within the Outer Space Treaty that address liability for damage caused by objects launched into space, so some have argued that it allows for the commercial exploitation of resources on celestial bodies. While commercial exploitation was prohibited under Soviet law at one time, it is now permitted under Russian law if accompanied by nation-state financing. Several nations, such as Japan and Canada, have enacted domestic legislation to implement treaty obligations. In addition, many companies involved in space exploration or asteroid mining are members of industry associations that sponsor various conferences and discussions about how best to comply with those obligations.
The Future of Space
Space is an incredibly vast place, but it’s not limitless. We can’t just keep adding more satellites, or space junk will fill up a very important part of our universe. An international group is working on a plan to regulate and clean up what we have so far. The European Space Agency (ESA) has been in charge of coordinating efforts for years now, but a new United Nations body called UNOOSA (United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs) was recently created to help develop regulations around space debris. UNOOSA was established in 2011 by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 65/69. The primary goal of UNOOSA is to promote international cooperation concerning all aspects of activities in outer space, including exploration and use.
The United Nations has created an office called COPUOS (Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space). This committee was formed to look into space regulation issues and come up with regulations that will help manage the use of outer space while keeping it free from natural or man-made hazards. Some organizations that manage these issues within COPUOS include NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and Roscosmos (Russian Federal Space Agency), amongst others.
Our commitment to a clean Earth and clean space
When thinking about launching anything into outer space, it is important to be responsible and consider future implications. For example, if you are launching a satellite, some rules must be followed. The regulations include not releasing any objects or parts of your satellite during launch. You must also ensure that your satellite will not interfere with other satellites already in orbit. If you’re sending up a rocket, you must also follow certain rules when dropping things off on Earth, such as returning rockets to Earth safely and not releasing any hazardous materials while landing.
At Adashe, we are committed to ensuring that our planet is clean and safe. We can also prevent harmful objects from entering the earth’s atmosphere. In all our endeavours, we continue thinking about ways to ensure that space remains a safe place for all of us and continues to be an area where people can thrive and grow in peace. Join our community and help us keep the space safe for everyone.
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