HELSINKI — Managing the growing threat of space debris requires greater urgency, with improved sensor capability, filling data gaps, economic incentives and new technologies all needed, according to a panel discussion on the issue.
With approximately one million objects measuring between 1 cm and 10 cm orbiting Earth, according to ESA’s models, space debris is a looming issue for the growing space economy, participants said during a panel discussion entitled “Space Debris Mitigation – the Growing Threat of Space Junk” at Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen, Nov. 20.
The growing presence of debris, coupled with the rapid expansion of satellites and megaconstellation plans, is increasing the complexity of orbital operations. This presents risks not only to satellites but also to the global economy and security systems that depend on them.
Growing congestion in key orbital bands, particularly in low Earth orbit (LEO), has led to an exponential increase in collision avoidance maneuvers. Companies like SpaceX, operating large constellations, perform thousands of such maneuvers annually. And these constellations are also changing the environment in which they operate.
“Orbit raising used to be a piece of cake in the past, but now a lot of our customers are transitioning through what we call the Starlink wall. So this is really navigating through the jungle,” said Thomas Eggenweiler, commercial director at Neuraspace, a Portuguese space traffic management startup. Operational Starlink satellites orbit at an altitude 550 kilometers.
Meanwhile, debris-producing events, such as satellite and rocket stage fragmentations, continue to exacerbate the situation. There have been five fragmentation events—two separate Long March 6A upper stage events, an Atlas V Centaur upper stage break up, the Resurs-P 1 satellite explosion and the breakup of Intelsat-33e—have occurred since June.
Growing debris and proliferation of constellations means the capability to accurately track debris and issue warnings is crucial. Accurate and timely data is foundational for space situational awareness (SSA), yet there are significant gaps in current capabilities. Existing sensors struggle to detect smaller objects consistently, and there is limited transparency and data-sharing among operators.
“We need sensors which are sensitive enough to detect small objects,” said Juan Carlos Dolado Perez, founder and CTO at Paris-based Look Up Space. This, he says, means objects a few centimeters in size for LEO, and around 20 cm for geostationary orbit.
“We need to observe consistently, just not detect them,” Perez said. He added that reactivity and timeliness is also key. “We need a small time between detection and the moment we need the data, to process that data and to provide the information,” Perez said.
Major orbital fragmentation events since June 2024.At the same time, the legal framework governing space, meanwhile, is struggling to keep pace with the rapid growth in orbital activity.
“On the regulatory part, it should be five years for the deorbiting requirement. I think 25 years is ridiculously high,” opined Stela Tkatchova, European Innovation Council program manager for Space, referring to general guidelines that spacecraft in LEO should deorbit within a maximum of 25 years after the completion of their mission.
There also needs to be encouragement for positive actions with regards space debris, according to Andrew Faiola, commercial director at Astroscale.
“We need incentives for responsible behavior, not just penalties for bad behavior,” Faiola said. “The key action is to change the rules. There’s no real obligation for compliance, that does necessitate some regulation, but it has to strike the right balance where we see incentives to behave in the right way rather than penalties,” he added.
Emerging solutions include active debris removal (ADR), AI and automation for space traffic management, and regulation and standards. But the business case is also one of the major challenges for innovators bringing technology to the space economy, noted discussion moderator Isabelle Mierau, founder of Space Debris DAO.
The business case for debris removal isn’t just about revenue, it’s also about reducing costs, such as extending the operational life of satellites, according to Faiola. He added that governments must lead by example and catalyze the market by investing in these services.
Extending the lifetimes of satellites is, however, becoming more challenging as the number of collision warnings and need for propellant-sapping maneuvers continues to grow.
Asked about what is needed for the future to tackle debris issues, Tkatchova said she would love to see using solar power for removing space debris, as well as solar sails, dynamic tethers, or propellantless propulsion technologies, including solutions that minimize atmospheric pollution from reentry.
“The rules of the road need to be improved to have to incentivize basically responsible behavior in space,” said Eggenweiler. “The second thing is we need more and better data about the situation in space. And the third thing is, if you look at your cars at home, they have more intelligence for collision avoidance than our satellites in spacecraft, and those are multi-million euro spacecraft.”
Perez concurred that the data gap needs to be filled in the next five years, as well as solving technical, technological and regulatory aspects.
Space is an invisible infrastructure we use every day, but don’t see, Faiola said. Losing it could have devastating effects on our economies and security.
The discussion, overall suggested space debris management is not just about technology but requires alignment across regulation, innovation, and economic frameworks.