We’re building a Great Garbage Shell around the Earth, full of defunct satellites and tiny pieces of junk.
Source: Space Has Become a Junkyard, and It’s Getting Worse
From the article:
“As it stands, Ceperley says, regulators “focus on the prelaunch licensing and documentation.” Once you get signed off for launch, nobody is chasing you about where your satellite is or where it’s going to end up. As a counter, he highlights New Zealand’s space agency. The agency uses his team’s tracking platform to follow everything launched from the country and assess if it’s operating according to plan. That information, he says, feeds back into policy. “
So it can be done. But it will cost. But what cost if we create a shell from which we cannot escape?
Maybe everyone agreees what goes up must be safely disposed of. costs to be split by launchers into a fund to fund solutions and pay fopr the celanup. costs will eventully be passed on to consumers.
