Focusing the Space Law Games: Overcoming Operational and Legal Barriers to Space Situational Awareness

摘要

Over the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the orbital population. The licensing of a number of large constellations means that this is set to increase dramatically. A significant number of technical advances have facilitated this and, this has been matched by an increased policy focus on the need for increased space surveillance and tracking, culminating in 2018 for the USA, in Space Presidential Directive 3. The riseofmega-constellations and other innovations, such as active debris removal or on-orbit servicing procedures means ever more data of space is going to be needed to keep track of the increasing burden placed on the orbital environment. The provision of corroborated information which removes as much ambiguity as possible about the position of objects in orbit is crucial to both safe and sustainable satellite operations. Yet, despite this pressing need, there are considerable barriers that exist to obtaining a more complete picture of this information.