{"id":55636,"date":"2022-04-01T20:50:48","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T12:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/space-sustainability-is-still-seen-as-a-back-burner-issue\/"},"modified":"2022-04-01T20:50:48","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T12:50:48","slug":"space-sustainability-is-still-seen-as-a-back-burner-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/space-sustainability-is-still-seen-as-a-back-burner-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Space Sustainability is Still Seen as a Back-Burner Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While space gets more and more crowded with an increasing number of satellites being launched, issues such as a crowded Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), space debris, and satellite collisions have become more than a concern for the companies putting these satellites in space. It\u2019s also an issue for all space-faring governments because unpredictable events in space can have wide-ranging global repercussions. <\/p>\n<p>But for now, space sustainability and management does not seem top of the agenda for the U.S., and for other space commerce countries represented at the United Nations. What needs to happen was part of the discussion of sustainability on March 23 during the SATELLITE 2022 show featuring representatives from government regulatory affairs and government relations organizations.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/DAvuTaMbTT2SzvXDdz6p_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Wrap20Up-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"width: 120px; height: auto;\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/DAvuTaMbTT2SzvXDdz6p_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Wrap20Up-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/DAvuTaMbTT2SzvXDdz6p_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Wrap20Up-800x599.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/DAvuTaMbTT2SzvXDdz6p_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Wrap20Up-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/DAvuTaMbTT2SzvXDdz6p_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Wrap20Up.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"fs-5 mt-0\">Explore the Show Daily 2022 Wrap Up Issue<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-0 fs-smaller text-balance\">Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-primary\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"offcanvas\" data-bs-target=\"#offcanvasMENU\" aria-controls=\"offcanvasExample\" aria-label=\"button\" style=\"white-space: nowrap;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tView More <i class=\"bi bi-arrow-right-circle\"><\/i><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<p>Patrick Chatard Moulin, deputy head of the Space Task Force for the European External Action Service (EEAS), said that he hasn\u2019t seen anything happen regarding sustainability and regulation through the United Nations in two years, saying that climate change has been a much greater focus. \u201cIt\u2019s now about what we can do individually [for space sustainability]. The one thing that I think we need to be very careful about in the next few years is space safety and security,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>Ruth Pritchard-Kelly, senior advisor of Regulatory and Space Policy for OneWeb, agreed with Moulin that it\u2019s going to take time for governments to step up and address sustainability issues in space. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Patrick is right in that regulators can\u2019t respond in two years. It is the industry that needs to be responsible,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat we launch should have been responsible by design. We should have chosen an orbit where we think we are not going to interfere with other objects. We should have tested our objects on the ground as best we can. We should have used a reliable vehicle. That\u2019s the burden on the industry. Don\u2019t launch whatever and just say, if it doesn\u2019t work, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s okay. It\u2019ll eventually decay.\u2019 That\u2019s not responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a6bc42c78546;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a6bc42c78546 = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a6bc42c78547').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a6bc42c78547'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>John Janka, chief officer of Global Government Affairs and Regulatory for Viasat, agreed that industry should be responsible. \u201cThat\u2019s a critical thing, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s enough,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that on top of that, it\u2019s really important for regulators to start to act on these matters. They should be looking at constellations and the level of risk and the level of responsiveness and evaluate that when they\u2019re giving licenses or market access. They do it in all types of other contexts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Kalpak Gude, head of Domestic Regulatory Affairs for Project Kuiper at Amazon, added to Janka\u2019s comment. \u201cWe get a little bit concerned about governments moving too quickly to regulation. We really do think government has an enormous role to help drive getting the answers to these questions about sustainability in space. And it should be done through public private partnerships, or through government being a convener driving for the creation of better standards and best practices, those types of approaches right now,\u201d he said. \u201cSustainability issues are not restricted to one government or to one country. It is something that really would deliver tremendous value across the board.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Most satellite manufacturers are aware of the issues of a more crowded Low-Earth Orbit, that satellite collisions and debris accumulation in space will likely get worse. But there have been some unintended consequences because of the proliferation of satellites in LEO, according to panelist Richard Green, assistant director for Government Relations at the University of Arizona. <\/p>\n<p>NASA is charged with finding all the potential hazards that will come across the Earth\u2019s path, such as an errant asteroid. \u201cIf the Low-Earth Orbit satellite build-out continues on its current curve, what\u2019s not known is how many potential hazardous asteroids do you miss because of this new source blocking the information?\u201d Green said. <\/p>\n<p>Pritchard-Kelly pointed to the seriousness of debris that is already in space from prior activities. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s easy for operational constellations to talk to each other and to control their satellites and objects and not to have collisions,\u201d Pritchard-Kelly said. \u201cBut what about the 50 years of garbage that\u2019s out there from 50 years of other activities? Who\u2019s going to clean that up? No one\u2019s going out and picking up somebody else\u2019s dog poop. That\u2019s not happening. But it has to happen. And governments have got to step in and encourage a prize or some way for this to become affordable and interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gude said that, from an operations perspective, active collision avoidance is critical but it requires information sharing. \u201cWe think that is another key component to operating safely,\u201d he said. \u201cIt may not be shared publicly, but at least maybe shared responsibly with other operators in your environment. But share as much as you can. Because everybody should understand not just where you are and where you\u2019re going, but where you might go based on your own decisions to maneuver your satellite. You don\u2019t want to create new problems for others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are other areas of space sustainability that people talk about, but not much happens, according to Janka. One of those areas is lethal, non-trackable debris. \u201cWe know it can be devastating, but for reasons that escape me, at least in the U.S. licensing process, that risk isn\u2019t added. There\u2019s a lot of debate about it, but nobody\u2019s putting data down. We should talk about how we\u2019re going to mitigate the risks. Right? There are brilliant engineers and scientists who can put numbers on this. We owe it to ourselves to do that type of quantification.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sophisticated collision avoidance techniques, Janka said, are terrific. But they should be considered and evaluated. \u201cWe\u2019re still dealing with some folks who are arguing that \u2018Well, I have an autonomous collision avoidance system. Therefore, nothing can go wrong.\u2019 We need to evaluate those things.\u201d <strong>VS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>,<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"widget-title\">In This Issue<\/h2>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 455:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/D4SMJ81ETleJWa3967tX_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-300x225.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/D4SMJ81ETleJWa3967tX_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/D4SMJ81ETleJWa3967tX_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-800x599.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/D4SMJ81ETleJWa3967tX_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/D4SMJ81ETleJWa3967tX_JLcSB4smSV2swxJNcwod_VS_ShowDaily20202220DGTL_Image.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t5G from Space Offers Potential Benefits for US Forces, but Spectrum Access and Cybersecurity Present Challenges<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 454:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/94Ve5l7GR8CWNHGhUtNM_Launch-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/94Ve5l7GR8CWNHGhUtNM_Launch-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/94Ve5l7GR8CWNHGhUtNM_Launch-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/94Ve5l7GR8CWNHGhUtNM_Launch-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/94Ve5l7GR8CWNHGhUtNM_Launch.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tMajor Launchers Look Toward the \u2018New Era\u2019 of Space Launch<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 453:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/dmjVR5eQIOQ22AzIF2z7_Manufaturing-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/dmjVR5eQIOQ22AzIF2z7_Manufaturing-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/dmjVR5eQIOQ22AzIF2z7_Manufaturing-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/dmjVR5eQIOQ22AzIF2z7_Manufaturing-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/dmjVR5eQIOQ22AzIF2z7_Manufaturing.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tManufacturers Reflect on Supply Chain Issues and the Software-Defined Future<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 456:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/gSmzHFLpTuqn75tSYZnn_Robotics-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/gSmzHFLpTuqn75tSYZnn_Robotics-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/gSmzHFLpTuqn75tSYZnn_Robotics-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/gSmzHFLpTuqn75tSYZnn_Robotics-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/gSmzHFLpTuqn75tSYZnn_Robotics.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tRobotics Aim to Enable a More Profitable and Sustainable Future in Space<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While space gets more and more crowded with an increasing number of satellites being launched, issues such as a crowded Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), space debris, and satellite collisions have become more than a concern for the companies putting these satellites in space. It\u2019s also an issue for all space-faring governments because unpredictable events in space [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55637,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55636"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}