Orbital debris : drafting, negotiating, implementing a convention
Author(s)
Sénéchal, Thierry
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Other Contributors
Sloan School of Management.
Advisor
Lawrence E. Susskind and John van Maanen.
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It is time to recognize that while space may be infinite, Earth orbital space is a finite natural resource that must be managed properly. The problem we face with space pollution is complex and serious. The space treaties and conventions are not sufficient. They were drafted at the time of space exploration in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, they fail to account for rapid changes in the field, especially the increasing commercial activity. Moreover, the existing mitigation guidelines remain voluntary and are not legally binding under international law. As a result, space debris tends to accumulate and remains in orbit for a long period of time. A space debris convention is thus warranted. The proposed international convention would have the following objectives: 1) Implement an international and independent tracking and cataloguing system for space debris; 2) Adopt enforceable space debris mitigation and disposal guidelines; 3) Enforce a space preservation provision for protecting the most vulnerable outer space regions and; 4) Define a space debris compensation and dispute settlement mechanism. (cont.) The convention must bring all together policy-makers and the civil society for addressing this problem; it is also time for the space industry to play its corporate social responsibility and to actively seek to participate to the drafting and implementing of the convention. More than ever, the space debris problem is hindering space commerce, space tourism, the scientific exploration of space, the use of raw materials from space, and even distant plans for the future settlement of space. The possibility of great harm posed by debris should bring all nations and stakeholders together to find the most appropriate solutions.
Description
Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2007. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-129).
Date issued
2007Department
Sloan School of ManagementPublisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Sloan School of Management.