Is it time to 'loosely' regulate space exploration? With the boom thanks to the CubeSat revolution, the number of space objects is increasing rapidly. With almost minimal debris or end of life regulations in place, does the community need to dial back on the launches or impose strict debris/end-of-life rules to minimize junk in orbits?
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1$\begingroup$ What, specifically, about the current rules is too lax in your opinion? $\endgroup$– HobbesAug 25, 2019 at 12:49
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$\begingroup$ The amount of debris per kg of mass placed in orbit. What we're moving towards is a concentration of constellations in LEO, it's a disaster in waiting. Ideally, there should be a minimum number of payload per launch, and debris allowable per vehicle. $\endgroup$– ASRI_306Aug 26, 2019 at 11:32
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The regulations and international guidelines for space debris were recently overhauled in 2018 after a long 20+ year lull. This is key to prevent any accidents in space as the number of low orbit launches increase exponentially.
The FCC, European Space Agency and UN have all begun to lay out plans for the "mitigation of orbital debris in the new space age".
Here's a detailed view from the European Space Agency: https://m.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Safety/Space_Debris/Mitigating_space_debris_generation
answered Aug 25, 2019 at 15:36