Scientists call for legally-binding treaty to protect Earth’s orbit

Scientists call for legally-binding treaty to protect Earth’s orbit

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Space technology

Context: Over 60,000 satellites expected to orbit Earth by 2030, up from the current 9,000 satellites.

More on the News:

• Less than a week after members of the United Nations agreed on a treaty to conserve and sustainably use the high seas beyond national boundaries, scientists call for a similar legally-binding agreement to protect the Earth’s orbit.
• The researchers have written a letter published in Science journal. Over 100 trillion untracked pieces of old satellites circle the planet.
• More than 27,000 pieces of “space junk” are being tracked, NASA stated.

Space debris

• Space debris, also known as space junk, refers to human-made objects in space that no longer serve any useful purpose. This can include old satellites, rocket stages, and other debris from past space missions, as well as fragments from collisions and other space-based activities.

Causes of Space debris:

• Launch failures and explosions: When rockets or satellites fail to launch properly or experience explosions in orbit, they can generate large amounts of debris.
• Collisions: Collisions between satellites and other debris can generate even more debris, creating a domino effect that can increase the overall amount of debris in orbit.
• Satellite end of life: When satellites reach the end of their operational life, they can become non-functional and contribute to the overall amount of debris in orbit.
• Intentional destruction: Countries or organizations may intentionally destroy their own satellites or debris to prevent them from posing a threat to other objects in space.
• Human error: Mistakes made by operators of satellites or other spacecraft can lead to collisions or other incidents that generate debris.

Kessler Syndrome

• This is an idea proposed by NASA scientist Donald Kessler in 1978.
• It states that if there was too much space junk in orbit,it could result in a chain reaction where more and more objects collide and create new space junk in the process, to the point where Earth’s orbit becomes unusable. It is also known as “collisional cascading”.

Important Missions on Removing Space Debris

• Remove Debris:It is the European Space Agency’s debris removal demonstration mission in the low Earth orbit (LEO) that aims to test and validate multiple active debris removal technologies.
• Debris Elimination and Reentry: It is NASA’s Debris Elimination and Reentry (DER) program aims to reduce the threat of re-entering debris and mitigate the growth of space debris.
• Space Debris Capture Experiment: It isJapanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s experiment to demonstrate the feasibility of capturing space debris using a device mounted on a spacecraft and to study the characteristics of space debris.
• Cleanup Mission: It is ChinaNational Space Administration’s (CNSA) to demonstrate the feasibility of cleaning up space debris using a combination of active and passive methods.
• ‘Project NETRA’– It is an early warning system in space to detect debris and other hazards to Indian satellites.

United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has laid out guidelines to mitigate space debris.

• The guidelines aim to prevent the creation of new space debris and to reduce the risk of collision between existing space objects. Some of the guidelines include:
• Designing spacecraft to minimize the production of debris during their operational life and at the end of their mission.
• Limiting the release of materials and objects in space to avoid creating debris.
• Avoiding collisions between space objects by maintaining a safe distance and implementing collision avoidance measures.
• Developing methods for removing space debris from orbit, such as capturing and de-orbiting it or using it for fuel or materials.
• Improving tracking and monitoring of space objects to better understand the risks of collision and to inform mitigation measures.

Outer Space Treaty

• The Outer Space Treaty, formally known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that was signed on January 27, 1967, and entered into force on October 10, 1967.
• It was developed and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to provide a framework for international cooperation and peaceful exploration and use of outer space.
• The treaty has several key provisions, including:
  • Outer space is not subject to national appropriation: Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to claims of national sovereignty, and no state may claim any part of outer space as its own.
  • Peaceful purposes: All activities in outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be carried out for peaceful purposes only.
  • Responsibility for national activities: States are responsible for ensuring that their activities in outer space are carried out in accordance with the treaty and that they avoid harmful contamination of the space environment.
  • Liability for damages: States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects, and shall be required to provide prompt and adequate compensation for any damage that is caused.
  • International cooperation: States shall cooperate with one another in the exploration and use of outer space, and shall conduct their activities in a manner that promotes international cooperation and understanding.
• The Outer Space Treaty is considered to be the cornerstone of international space law and has been ratified by over 110 countries.