Make legally-binding international treaty to tackle space debris, urge experts
Earlier this month, the UN High Seas Treaty was drafted to protect marine life in oceans lying outside national boundaries. The success of the venture has now resulted in calls for a new treaty pertaining to space. Experts are clamoring for a legally-bounding global treaty, that would hold satellite makers/operators responsible for the growing hazard posed by space debris.
Why does this story matter?
What's the situation out there?
As of now, the Earth is orbited by roughly 9,000 satellites. This number will possibly exceed 60,000 by 2030. Why you wonder? Well, it is because there's a shift toward large clusters of small satellites. Notably, Elon Musk-owned SpaceX launched over 3,000 Starlink satellites in the low Earth orbit (LEO) and the tally will go up to 12,000 by 2026.
What risk do the satellites pose?
Most satellites hover at an altitude of less than 1,000km. The LEO is also filled with spent rocket parts, decaying hardware, and debris from past collisions. Experts fear that debris might collide with the ESA's largest Earth observation satellite, Envisat, which has been in LEO for over a decade. Roughly 100 trillion untracked pieces of old satellites are out there, posing a big risk.
What would a possible treaty entail?
Any possible treaty will have to be legally binding and applicable to all countries worldwide. There cannot be any scope for favoritism. The agreement's terms would force satellite manufacturers and users to de-orbit defunct hardware and also clean up the debris created when orbiting objects would collide. Besides the environmental impact of collisions, the economic cost could also be high in absence of treaties.
What are the roadblocks?
"The difficulty of negotiating a treaty on space debris, which will endure and make a positive difference, is that the very nations who need to compromise are geopolitical adversaries," said Professor Christopher Newman of Northumbria University. "It looks that countries that wish to take a leadership role in this area are going to have to try and bring as many others onboard," he added.
A brief look at the UN High Seas Treaty
The UN High Seas Treaty was signed at the UN headquarters on March 4. It is a legally-binding agreement that aims to allocate 30% of the world's international waters by 2030, into marine protected areas (MPAs). Currently, just 1.2% of these waters are protected.
