Legal Implications on Autonomous Orbit Satellite Servicing, Active Debris Removal and Asteroid Retrieval Missions
- Paper number
IAC-15,E7,5,6,x31516
- Coauthor
Mrs. Ana Cristina van Oijhuizen Galhego Rosa, Brazilian Association of Air and Space Law, The Netherlands
- Year
2015
- Abstract
Technological capabilities for on-orbit satellite servicing, active debris removal and asteroid retrieval at present represent the missions scenarios in outer space. These missions in low orbit (LEO) concepts often rely on a thrusting vehicle to redirect and steer a passive object. On-orbit satellite servicing includes a variety of activities, e.g. ranging from visual inspections and orbit correction to refueling and local repairs. Active debris removal consists of recovering the debris, moving it to a graveyard orbit, or forcing it to re-enter the atmosphere and its process consists of two steps in capturing of a debris object and the de-orbiting of this object. Asteroid retrieval aims robotically capturing and returning an entire Near-Earth Asteroid to the vicinity of the Earth. Apart from these advanced technological capabilities, legal impediments may prove to be a greater challenge for them. This paper aims to analyze the legal issues of responsibility and liability, jurisdiction and control, launching state and state of registry, intellectual property rights, space debris definition, spectrum and slotting and export control present in the mentioned missions.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)