Will “space waste” soon be history? The American authorities have just made a commitment in this direction: the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States adopted new rules last Thursday aimed at solving the growing problem of “space waste”, i.e. non-functioning spacecraft, derelict rocket stages and other debris, mostly of human origin, cluttering space. Under these new rules, operators of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) must retire their satellites within five years of the end of their mission.
Until now, there were no strict rules regarding space debris. However, the guidelines suggested that the satellites be de-orbited about 25 years after their mission. “25 years is a long time,” FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “There is no longer any reason to wait so long. (…) The second space age is here. For it to continue to grow, we need to do more to clean up after ourselves so that space innovation can continue to respond. »
The new rule adopted by US authorities “will mean more liability and less risk of collisions that increase orbital debris and the likelihood of space communications failures,” she continues.
No unanimity on the subject
Still, this new rule is not unanimous across the Atlantic. Earlier in the week, US lawmakers sent a letter to the FCC urging it to delay its vote on the matter. The FCC’s intention to “act unilaterally,” the members of Congress wrote, “could create uncertainty and potentially conflicting guidance” for the space industry.
Ordinarily, the committee members note, NASA leads international efforts related to space debris mitigation. Indeed, NASA recently announced that it would fund three studies to better understand the growing problem of space debris and the policies that could alleviate it. The letter from Congress says the FCC must explain its reasoning to the commission to “ensure that procedural measures such as the Congressional Review Act are not necessary.” The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to overrule any regulations imposed by federal agencies.
Sensors from the Pentagon’s Space Surveillance Network (SSN) have spotted 27,000 pieces of space junk, whether man-made or meteoroids – if they are five centimeters in diameter by low earth orbit and one meter in geosynchronous orbit. The SSN does not track the much larger number of small pieces of debris in near-Earth orbit, which are still large enough to threaten human spaceflight and robotic missions, according to NASA. The space agency says 23,000 pieces of debris larger than a baseball orbit Earth at speeds of up to 28,163 km/h.
Source: ZDNet.com