Rules of the Road for Space?: Satellite Collisions and the Inadequacy of Current Space Law

摘要

The liability provisions of the Outer Space Treaty and the Liability Convention have not been adequate to address the space debris problem. This suggests several responses.rnIn the short term, greater attention to questions of debris-mitigation and collision-avoidance is essential. Happily, the relatively small number of active space powers means that many of these questions can be addressed through informal discussion. All space powers have an interest in preventing damage from debris, and many of the changes-such as designing spacecraft to produce less debris in the form of paint chips, or deorbiting or "parking" satellites at the end of their lifetimes-are relatively inexpensive. Likewise, better coordination of satellite trajectories and sharing of traffic data, though fraught in some cases with national security implications, should nonetheless prove feasible.