Space Law

Space Traffic Management

Overview

• The Changing Commercial Space Domain

• The Value of International Space Traffic Management
• space insurance scheme
• Current Space Traffic Management measures
• Stakeholders in setting international standard
• New Challenges to Global Policy Leadership
• Legal Issues
What is Space Traffic Management?
• . Space traffic management is defined by the International Academy
of Astronautics (IAA) as "the set of technical and regulatory provisions
for promoting safe access into outer space, operations in outer space
and return from outer space to Earth free from physical or radio-
frequency interference."
The Value of International Space Traffic
Management
Laws and Organizations
• The five Treaties negotiated under the United Nations Committee on
the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
• United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
• Debris Mitigation Guidelines
• Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
• The International Maritime Organization
As of September 2021, the European Space Agency’s Space
Debris Office offered a few relevant historical facts:
• The number of successful rocket launches since the space age began in 1957 is roughly
6,100. 
• The number of satellites placed into Earth orbit is roughly 12,000, with about 7,500 still
in orbit.
• The number of satellites still functioning is about 4,700.
• The number of large debris objects regularly tracked by the U.S. Space Surveillance
Network and maintained in their catalog is more than 29,000.
• The number of break-ups, explosions, collisions or anomalous events resulting in
fragmentation is over 600.
• The total mass of all space objects in Earth orbits is over 9,600 tons.
• The number of orbiting debris objects greater than 10 centimeters in size, estimated via
statistical models, is 36,500. There are 1 million objects between 1 and 10 centimeters in
size and 330 million objects between 1 millimeter and 1 centimeter.
 Problems
• Space debris persists
• Insufficient Space Situational Awareness
• Certain orbits have specific utility, creating concentrated areas of space
traffic
• Increased use of space resources by all States
• collision and debris-generation
• Insufficient international agreements, enforcement and national
regulatory mandates
• Lack of implementation of internationally-standardized space data
messages and norms
Methods to Tackle the Problems in STM
• Space Surveillance
• Disseminate Space Situational Awareness
• Establish definitions of nationally “acceptable” thresholds for orbital debris
and space safety
• Organize a regulatory structure for debris mitigation
• Establish performance-based, technically justifiable rules based on the
“acceptable” consequences and then disseminate globally
• Provide the knowledge to space operators
• Increase the strength of the spacecrafts to endure collision without
sustaining damage
Conclusion
• The issues and potential solutions surrounding space traffic show the need
of viewing space activity regulation as a broad topic that necessitates
collaborative mitigation efforts. Because outer space is the only true global
commons, it must be kept open to the public for the benefit of all
humanity. The international community must act quickly to develop a
mechanism that encourages spacefaring states to share data on their
operations and incentivizes them to prevent overcrowding in crucial
orbits. It will be critical in the future to enhance space administration in
order to avoid new collisions. To keep space useable and to sustain our
existing operations in space for future generations, coordination amongst
all space actors in space traffic control must become a priority.
 Thank you

Authors – Neerada Sheen

Manish S

Institution – RV INSTITUTE OF LEGAL STUDIES