Description
Don Kessler sounded the alarm with regard to space debris as early as 1978, but the international reaction to his seminal paper has been disappointingly slow.
There is now a general recognition amongst space-faring nations that action to address the debris problem is necessary on a number of fronts: technical, financial, and legal initiatives are all urgently required.
This summary paper will examine the current status of Space Traffic Control, and will highlight the changes that have occurred over the past decade which have significantly increased the need for international cooperation in this area.
Routes towards a comprehensive solution will be suggested, involving contributions from space operators, national jurisdictions, and international bodies. A key principle of these proposals is that everyone should benefit from the system that is created.
