Second Space Capacity Allocation For The Sustainability Of Space Activities Workshop

Session

Space debris mitigation policies

9

4 Jun 2026, 16:00

Politecnico di Milano

Description

Covered topics:
- Policy studies on space debris mitigations and applicability of capacity management strategies.

11. Advancing Space Debris Mitigation Policy through Capacity Management: The EMOCAT Framework with LLM-Enabled Strategy Design and Interactive Decision Interfaces

Ms Kyah Adams (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, XDLab)

The rapid growth of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) activity has increased debris generation risk beyond the scope of existing mitigation regimes, which rely primarily on non-binding measures such as post-mission disposal (PMD) and fragmentation avoidance. While these measures provide a necessary baseline, they do not adequately capture the coupled, stochastic dynamics of debris propagation or the...

9. Business-as-Usual and Orbital Debris Path

José Luis Torres Chacón (Universidad de Málaga)

This paper develops a dynamic general equilibrium integrated assessment model of the space economy that explicitly links economic activity on Earth with satellite operations in orbit. The model incorporates a space environmental externality in the form of orbital debris, which accumulates endogenously through launches, on-orbit operations, and collisions, and generates damages to space...

25. From Policy Assumption to Practical Implementation: Reassessing PMD Policy through Economic Viability, Technology Readiness, and Risk Relevance, with an Illustrative Industry Case

Mr Yasuhito UTO (BULL Co., Ltd.), Mr Masakazu KOYANAGI (BULL SAS)

Post-mission disposal (PMD) is increasingly embedded in the policy framework for space debris mitigation. However, the growing expectation that missions should dispose of space objects at end of life does not automatically mean that disposal solutions are practicable at scale. As commercial space activity expands rapidly, the key policy question is no longer only whether PMD is desirable, but...

28. Space Debris Mitigation Policies for Large Constellations: Licensing and Continuing Supervision as Tools of Space Capacity Management

Raoul Cardellini Leipertz (School of Advanced Defence Studies (CASD-SSU))

Large-constellation deployment has outgrown a debris-mitigation framework designed for a less congested orbital environment. Standards developed for individual missions and comparatively slow replenishment cycles are under pressure from continuous launch activity, rapid satellite replacement, and disposal practices whose cumulative effects span operators and accumulate over time. The...

20. Space Debris Mitigation Policy in the Context of Deployment of Space Data Centers

Anna HUROVA (Space Chair, ENS-PSL)

This presentation examines the evolving policy and legal requirements associated with the emergence of a new category of space activity, namely space-based data centers designed to support artificial intelligence operations. Initiatives such as Google’s Project Suncatcher, Microsoft Azure Space, Blue Origin’s Orbital Data Centre, Space Exploration Holdings illustrate an accelerating trend...