Whose Junk Is It? The Legal Implications Of Deflecting Space Junk To Protect Space Assets
- Paper number
IAC-07-E6.3.09
- Author
Ms. Deborah Roach, Blake Dawson Waldron, Australia
- Coauthor
Mr. Angus Boyd, Australia
- Year
2007
- Abstract
The legal and policy issues in relation to space debris have been brought into sharp focus in recent times. With over 10,000 objects four inches wide or larger in various orbits around the Earth, and perhaps another 1,000 caused by the destruction of a Chinese satellite in January 2007 as part of an anti-satellite rocket test, it is increasingly important that a technical solution to the “space junk” problem is developed and implemented. This paper will discuss the various means by which the impact of orbital debris can be minimized or avoided, and the financial, legal and policy implications of these measures. In particular, this paper will consider the implications of deflecting orbital debris in the context of the provisions of the Outer Space Treaty and the Liability Convention and suggest some possible international policy and legal solutions.
- Abstract document