Hundreds of discarded satellites, spent upper-stage rocket bodies, and mission-related objects are posing a risk to space-based services and future missions that will support what is projected to be a trillion-dollar space economy.
More than 36,500 cataloged objects larger than 10 cm are currently circling Earth, along with millions of pieces smaller than 1 cm, according to the European Space Agency. Any collision in the sky can be catastrophic. Traveling at more than 7 km per second is faster than a high-speed bullet and can cause significant damage to a spacecraft and end an entire mission.
Sixty years of exploration and utilization have largely ignored the environmental consequences of space activities and treated satellites and other space assets as single-use objects.
This approach puts the promise of the space economy at risk by increasing costs and putting an unsustainable model in place. Satellite operators are forced to perform debris-avoidance maneuvers that consume valuable resources and can disrupt services, because low-Earth orbits are already so populated.
Technical measures can't solve the space problem. National space policies and international standards support satellite servicing. National regulatory policies are struggling to keep up with the advancement of technology and the growth of the satellite population.
Specific licensing practices must be created and implemented by national regulatory agencies in individual countries, because of the high-level guidance provided by the UN provisions.
There is no template for the implementation of these guidelines and high-level agreements on an internationally coordinated basis, and global space activity is not under the control of any single national or international entity. There is no common set of rules that govern global space activity and no mechanisms to ensure proper disposal of hardware at the end of space missions. There is no coordinated effort to clean up space debris.
Over the past year, we have seen a shift in the seriousness of the issue. In June of 2021, the G7 member nations released a statement that confirmed orbital debris as one of the biggest challenges facing the space sector and pledged to commit to the safe and sustainable use of space.
This statement is a step in the right direction, but it is only an acknowledgment of the scope of our problems. Space traffic and environmental management must be developed and coordinated by key players in the international community.
Satellite operators have no options for reducing the risks to their satellites. This risk scenario is changing because of on-orbit servicing. D-Orbit, Astroscale and ClearSpace are joining forces to turn on-orbit servicing into an emerging reality.
Roadside car servicing on Earth is comparable to on-orbit servicing. Nobody would abandon a car in the middle of the road if the fuel tank is empty or the battery is running out. Since the dawn of the Space Age, most satellite operators have worked the same way.
A single system of over 300,000 satellites has recently been proposed, according to applications submitted to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and International Telecommunications Union. This growth will make a serious issue worse.
The cost for the deployment of a satellite is between $150 million and $500 million. Over the next 15 years, more than 100geostationary satellites will reach their planned retirement age, driving satellite operators to pursue options for extending the value of their assets, rather than just replacing them. Commercial and institutional operators can be more deliberate in how they use their capital by extending the life of a satellite.
Satellite operators can install a low-cost interface on their satellites before launch to reduce the cost and complexity of any future service that might be required. When a satellite fails or reaches the end of its life, a servicer spacecraft can remove it, much like a tow truck helps broken-down cars on a road.
Operators can assess the condition of their satellites more thoroughly when we extend removal services to on-orbit inspection. Operators can deliver their satellites from initial deployment to their intended operational orbits, make adjustments to compensate for natural decay, relocate assets within a constellation to address coverage issues, all without spending their own fuel budget.
National governments have an important role to play in jump-starting sustainable orbital infrastructure, like in the space race of the 1950s. The European Space Agency and the Japan Aeronautical Exploration Agency are funding active debris removal missions in low-Earth orbit in partnership with private entities like ClearSpace and Astroscale.
The potential rewards for solving this global issue are virtually unlimited, even though significant public and private investments are required. The space economy has the potential to impact life on our planet and open a new frontier across our solar system and beyond.
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