Space Debris Removal: A Challenge To Modern Society

Yashi Srivastava, Christ University Delhi NCR

ABSTRACT

The idea of exploring those shiny things in the sky has been a dream for humankind ever since Galileo Galilei first pointed his telescope at the moon. Space organizations worldwide have made numerous achievements to make these dreams a reality, the most basic of which are the satellites in the earth’s orbit. This research paper aims to analyse the legal regime of human activities in Space and how it impacts the backbone of our countries’ economies and other aspects seldom noticed by the average man, like the humongous amount of space traffic in the face of satellites and space debris. Space debris or space junk are the parts of machinery or debris left by humans in space. According to Holger Krag,1 Head of the Space Safety Programme, ESA,2 the most significant contributor to the current space debris problems is the explosion in orbit caused by left-over energy, fuel, and batteries onboard spacecraft. Article 2(a) of the 2777 (XXVI) Convention on International Liability of Damage caused by Space Objects3 defines ‘damages’ as “ loss of life, personal injury or other impairment of health; or loss of or damage to property of States or of persons, natural or juridical, or property of international intergovernmental organizations” The Convention talks about the liabilities of the third states in case of any damages elsewhere than the surface of the earth under Article 4(1)(b), however, the liability of any nation, concerning the space debris seems to be limited to the damages. This research paper seeks to examine the accountability of a launching state, to its space debris, concerning the damages caused to the environment and highlights the need for official regulations to reduce the amount of state debris and questions the steps