Policy Issues, Not Tech, Seen as Biggest Hurdle to Tackling Orbital Debris
Making headway with the burgeoning orbital debris problem is less about the limits of technology and more about a lack of cohesive policy and universally embraced priorities, space experts said Wednesday at an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics panel talk. One chief challenge is the lack of any uniformity around what is an acceptable level of debris, they said.
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The space sustainability goal can't be no orbital debris, as that's unrealistic, but controlled and active management of space trash, said Jim Cooper, Comspoc space situational awareness lead. Aerospace Corp. technical fellow Marlon Sorge said discussions are needed about what is acceptable. China's Long March 5B rocket launch last week, with the rocket expected to make an uncontrolled reentry later this week, wouldn't be acceptable under U.S. and European rules, but those rules aren't universally accepted, he said. "We are not all moving toward the same target," he said.
A lot of debris focus so far has been on tackling the overall amount rather than traffic management, though that's not how nations look at other forms of transportation like aviation or road traffic, said Steph Earle, FAA manager-space policy and outreach. With those, the focus is more on managing the most efficient use of airspace or roads.
A lack of broad cooperation might be the biggest hurdle, said Cooper. While there are numerous efforts in the name of space sustainability, corralling all the nations and organizations and their efforts effectively and efficiently is a challenge, he said. One goal that might galvanize international cooperation would be a global condemnation of intentional fragmentation events, he said. "It would be great to see that sweep the world," he said. The U.S. made such a commitment in April (see 2204190057).
Operators too often think of debris issues late in the game, close to launch rather than at the beginning, Aerospace's Sorge said. "Plan it in and then it doesn't become such an issue," he said. Dan Hawk, principal scientist for United First Nations Planetary Defense, said the current library of debris knowledge isn't being used well, such as by accounting for how satellites are built and with what materials so they can better withstand collisions. He said norms around the use of data are needed to determine if a conjunction is happening and what operators will do in response.
Government regulation doesn't have to be heavy-handed if industry standards exist and are followed, as the government then can focus on outliers cutting corners, the FAA's Earle said. Comspoc's Cooper said while the space industry is already taking voluntary steps out of the self-interest of protecting their livelihoods, government monitoring and encouragement are necessary to avoid the tragedy of the commons.
Asked about possible environmental issues of rocket fuel emissions harming the ozone layer, Earle said while the FAA has environmental regulations governing launch vehicles' effects on breathable air, dealing with upper atmosphere issues is more difficult. He said there's clearly an environmental effect, but more analysis is needed to understand what kind of effect. He said for now, there's no science backing the idea of not using solid fuels.