Proposal for a Legal Definition of Space Debris

Andrea Capurso

Department of Law, LUISS University, Viale Romania 32, 00197 Rome, Italy.

Proposal for a Legal Definition of Space Debris

Wherever humans go, pollution follows. Outer space is no exception.
After 60 years of space missions, the orbits around Earth are filled with “space debris”, which threatens satellites as they pass by. The international community has been working on means to remove them through so-called ‘Active Debris Removal’ (ADR) operations. However, the latter pose unresolved challenges in terms of jurisdiction, control and ownership over space debris, as well as in terms of international liability during and after operations.
The present paper tackles them with a focus on the legal notion of “space debris”. In particular, it explores the possibility of defining “space debris” like “waste” is defined on Earth. Building upon the EU waste regulation, it proposes a definition which revolves around the position of the owner of a space object and its intention to discard it. The conclusion demonstrates how this solution fits in the system of international space law without any modification of it, providing an effective solution to the legal hurdles of ADR operations.

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