1. Space Traffic Management
Lucie Cordier– Export Compliance Manager, VIE
ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY
YOUNG PERSONS’ LECTURE COMPETITION
11TH MAY 2017 – MBDA – STEVENAGE

3. Known orbit planes of Fengyun-1C debris one month after its disintegration by the Chinese Government

4. 150 million or so -- pieces of untrackable,
May 2014
BACKGROUND
Former head of NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office declared that more than 10% of functioning satellites in Earth orbit have likely experienced a sudden shock due to impact by debris too small to be tracked by ground sensors
150 million or so -- pieces of untrackable,
millimeter-size space objects

5. ESA’s SENTINEL-1A: struck in August 2016 by a 1cm debris, 40 cm crater
May 2014
ESA’s SENTINEL-1A: struck in August 2016 by a 1cm debris, 40 cm crater

6. May 2014
BACKGROUND: FACTS
Orbits reaching a critical capacity due to spacecrafts and debris...
…Owned by an increasing number of private and public actors
New activities, new ways of using outer space
Mega-constellations, DIY instruments, experiments, sensors and cubesats, space exploration /mining, space tourism…

7. SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT (STM): DEFINITION
May 2014
SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT (STM): DEFINITION
Conceptualized in the 1980s
According to a 2006 study by the International Academy of Astronautics, STM is the set of technical and regulatory rules to ensure:
safe access to outer space
safe operations in outer space
safe return from outer space

8. SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT (STM): A BROAD DEFINITION
May 2014
SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT (STM): A BROAD DEFINITION
Not only a legal concept
STM has to cover the entire life (BOL-EOL) of a spacecraft and even more:
its launch,
its in-orbit phase but also its pre-mission phase and
its re-entry on earth

9. REGULATION OF SPACE ACTIVITIES TODAY FOR STM
May 2014
REGULATION OF SPACE ACTIVITIES TODAY FOR STM
Outer Space Treaty and the Liability and Registration Convention
have provisions holding space actors responsible for their activities into, in and back from space
BUT there is NO:
reliable mechanism for these provisions
other set of regulations tackling STM in a more comprehensive manner
NEW REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS
To protect the national interest of us and our friends and allies
What is controlled? – Technology we develop

10. 2017 – EUROPEAN SPACE GENERATION WORKSHOP
May 2014
2017 – EUROPEAN SPACE GENERATION WORKSHOP
European Space Agency, Paris
24-25th of March 2017
Space Diplomacy Group:
24 delegates
from 18 different countries
UK export controls are based on the Export Control Act 2002 and supporting secondary legislation that came into effect in 2004
The legislation overhauled export controls for the first time in 60 years
It provides a comprehensive framework to control proliferation activity and police the arms trade in today’s world
Changes were complex and far reaching, so Government undertook to review 3 years after implementation
Review provides an opportunity to evaluate impact and effectiveness of new controls…
… and to assess further change options
The latest review resulted in the creation of the Export Control Order 2008

11. Provide recommendations to the following three questions:
WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
Provide recommendations to the following three questions:
Legal framework of Space Traffic Management (STM)?
Role of all (private and public) entities in STM?
Proposed technical solutions?

12. RECOMMANDATIONS: 1. AWARENESS
Raising awareness to all members of society
government, industry, academia and citizens
can be achieved both by the use of diplomacy (both traditional and digital) and media

13. RECOMMANDATIONS: 2. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT
Reach an international agreement with legal enforcement mechanisms
Spaceflight as a comprehensive traffic regime similar to car, ship and airplane regulation
Particular constraints apply to the outer space environment
limited manoeuvring capabilities,
high velocities and kessler syndrome,
limited visibility on ongoing operations…
Types of spacecraft/mission and accessible zones to be determined
Mandatory pre-launch/EOL/manoeuvre notifications to assess collision potential and other consequences
Success of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters as an inspiration

14. RECOMMANDATIONS: 3. GLOBAL AGENCY
Create a global civil agency
all current space actors - both governmental and private - are required to contribute, cooperate and
provide updated information on their spaceflight activities throughout all mission stages, and share their Space Situational Awareness (SSA) data
could be established on the example of the ITU
Common funding:
Deposit system to incentivize deorbit - could be returned to space actors on successful compliance with deorbit regulations
proportionate to Member States resources and their space activities,
can be adjusted downwards depending on the level of members’ involvement in sharing information related to SSA

15. Thank you!
11 May 2017