Flying Blind at over 7 Kilometers per Second: A Concept for Improving Space Collision Avoidance

摘要

Space collision avoidance requires more international cooperation in order to move beyond catalog maintenance toward active space traffic management. Spacecraft and sensor owners should seek out ways to provide information to each other for collectively improved orbital safety. In addition to increasing space traffic, recent collisions in space have produced debris that will remain hazardous to navigation for over one hundred years. While technical proposals for sharing data exist, psychological factors, such as power, fear, trust, and protection of intellectual capital, are the keys to improvement. Decision-makers should consider ten recommended actions that would improve space collision avoidance for all, including themselves.