With the increasing number of launches and satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), concerns are growing about space debris. The article calls for an 18th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) dedicated to the sustainable use of Earth's orbit, drawing parallels with the need for marine debris mitigation. It argues that space, like the ocean, is a finite resource requiring protection and responsible governance to ensure future generations can benefit from it.
—the Sustainable Development Goals —a universal call to action to protect the planet for future generations and ensure that all people will enjoy peace and prosperity. These 17 goals included the elimination of poverty, hunger, and inequalities, the promotion of education, and the promotion of sustainable development worldwide. With the rapid development in Low Earth Orbit , there are growing concerns that an 18th SDG should be adopted for space.
However, these launches have also left LEO littered with spent rocket stages, inoperable satellites, and debris from explosions or collisions. According to the SDO, there are currently 40,500 space debris objects greater than 10 cm in LEO, and over 100 million measuring from 1 mm to 10 cm .
In 2009, Kessler wrote that attempts to model the orbital debris problem indicated the debris environment had already become unstable. With the number of launches dramatically increasing annually, it is clear to many that the time for action is now. Dr. Imogen Ellen Napper, a Visiting Research Fellow with the IMRLU, led the study that recently appeared in
“It’s time to create policies to regulate what we’re putting in space, and we need to ensure objects entering orbit are safe, sustainable, and serving essential – or at least important – purposes for significant numbers of people around the world.”
SPACE DEBRIS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS LOW EARTH ORBIT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION SPACE GOVERNANCE
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