Critical issues on commercial operation of space debris removal

摘要

Space debris removal is a costly project. Commercial operation provides a sustainable way of implementation. According to principles governing the activities of states in the exploration and use of outer space, several basic issues, such as ownership of space debris, rights and liability of active removal, should be taken into consideration primarily. Business model, financial incentives and acquisition of orbital position ownership after removal are core contents of commercial exploitation. For instance, with regards to those geosynchronous orbital positions with commercial value, "who removes who owns" principle could be taken into account to encourage business activity. In addition, when authorization of orbital position expires and owner of the satellites do not remove within a definite time, international cooperation or removal service transaction would be feasible and operable measurements. This paper focus on discussing and trying to clarity those basic issues mentioned above and detailed crucial business applications.