"Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, space garbage, or cosmic debris) are defunct human-made objects in space – principally in Earth orbit – which no longer serve a useful function."
A study of the legal and policy issues related to protecting the space environment, including space debris mitigation, planetary protection, and environmental impact assessments.
Environmental Governance: This involves the study of different approaches to managing and protecting the environment, including legal and policy frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and compliance mechanisms.
International Environmental Law: The study of the international agreements, treaties, and conventions developed to manage and protect the environment on a global scale.
Space Law: The legal framework governing the use of outer space for exploration, research, and commercial purposes.
Environmental Impact Assessment: The study of assessing the potential environmental, social, and economic impacts of development projects on the environment and communities.
Sustainable Development: A concept that focuses on achieving economic, social, and environmental objectives simultaneously, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Climate Change: The study of the causes and effects of global warming and the policies, strategies, and actions that can be taken to mitigate or adapt to its impacts.
Natural Resource Management: The management of natural resources to ensure their sustainable use, protection, and conservation.
Energy Law: The legal framework governing the production, distribution, and consumption of energy, including renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures.
Water Law and Policy: The study of the legal and policy frameworks governing water use, conservation, and management.
Wildlife Law and Policy: The legal and policy frameworks governing the protection, conservation, and management of wildlife and their habitats.
Ecological Economics: The study of the relationship between economic activity and the environment, and how to ensure a sustainable balance between the two.
Environmental Ethics: The philosophical and moral considerations regarding the responsibility of humans for the environment and the moral implications of environmental destruction.
Green Technology and Innovation: A study of the technological advancements in products and processes that reduce environmental damage, enhance resource efficiency and promote sustainable development.
Environmental Justice: The study of the unequal distribution of environmental risks and benefits, social justice and human rights implications, and the means to address and redress environmental injustices.
Environmental Education and Awareness: The study of the role, methods, and effectiveness of education and awareness campaigns to promote environmental literacy, behavior change, and sustainable lifestyles.
Planetary Protection: The practice of preventing biological contamination of celestial bodies during space exploration missions to preserve potential extraterrestrial life forms and to prevent the reverse contamination of Earth by these organisms.
Space Debris Mitigation: The practice of minimizing the amount of debris, discarded spacecraft, and rocket parts in space that could endanger spacecraft, astronauts, or people on Earth.
Resource Utilization: The practice of using resources found on celestial bodies to sustain human exploration and colonists on other planets while also ensuring environmental sustainability.
Space-based Earth Observation: Utilizing satellites and other space-based technologies to monitor and study the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land, and vegetation to better understand and address environmental challenges, climate change, and natural disasters.
International Cooperation: Collaborative efforts between nations to address global environmental challenges and to establish common space environmental policies for responsible and sustainable use of outer space.
"Space debris represents a risk to spacecraft."
"When the smallest objects of artificial space debris (paint flecks, solid rocket exhaust particles, etc.) are grouped with micrometeoroids, they are together sometimes referred to by space agencies as MMOD (Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris)."
"As of November 2022, the US Space Surveillance Network reported 25,857 artificial objects in orbit above the Earth, including 5,465 operational satellites."
"Other examples of space debris include fragments from their disintegration, erosion and collisions or even paint flecks, solidified liquids expelled from spacecraft, and unburned particles from solid rocket motors."
"As of January 2019, more than 128 million pieces of debris smaller than 1 cm (0.4 in) were estimated to be in orbit around the Earth."
"Satellite debris that is in a Molniya orbit, such as the Kosmos Oko series, might be too high above the northern hemisphere to be tracked."
"The smallest objects cause damage akin to sandblasting, especially to solar panels and optics like telescopes or star trackers that cannot easily be protected by a ballistic shield."
"Below 2,000 km (1,200 mi) Earth-altitude, pieces of debris are denser than meteoroids."
"The ISS has Whipple shielding to resist damage from small MMOD."
"These include derelict spacecraft – nonfunctional spacecraft and abandoned launch vehicle stages – mission-related debris, and particularly numerous in Earth orbit, fragmentation debris from the breakup of derelict rocket bodies and spacecraft."
"The measurement, mitigation, and potential removal of debris are conducted by some participants in the space industry."
"Several spacecraft, both crewed and uncrewed, have been damaged or destroyed by space debris."
"More than 34,000 pieces larger than 10 cm (3.9 in) were estimated to be in orbit around the Earth."
"Space debris is typically a negative externality – it creates an external cost on others from the initial action to launch or use a spacecraft in near-Earth orbit – a cost that is typically not taken into account nor fully accounted for in the cost by the launcher or payload owner."
"The two most recent large debris events – the 2007 Chinese antisat weapon test and the 2009 satellite collision – occurred at 800 to 900 kilometres (500 to 560 mi) altitude."
"Known debris with a collision chance over 1/10,000 are avoided by maneuvering the station."
"Most are dust from solid rocket motors, surface erosion debris like paint flakes, and frozen coolant from Soviet nuclear-powered satellites."
"They are together sometimes referred to by space agencies as MMOD (Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris)."
"These include derelict spacecraft – nonfunctional spacecraft and abandoned launch vehicle stages."