The purpose of national and international space debris mitigation guides is to promote the preservation of near-Earth space for applications and exploration missions far into the future. To accomplish this objective, the accumulation of objects, particularly in long-lived orbits, must be eliminated or curtailed

Johnson, Nicholas L.

NASA Technical Reports Server

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines
Nicholas L. Johnson
NASA Chief Scientist for Orbital Debris
Symposium on Small Satellite Programmes for Sustainable Development
“Implementing Small Satellite Programmes:  Technical, Managerial, 
Regulatory and Legal Issues
Graz, Austria
13-16 September 2011
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20110014989 2019-08-30T17:00:38+00:00Z
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Purpose of Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines
• The purpose of national and international space debris mitigation guides is to 
promote the preservation of near-Earth space for applications and exploration 
missions far into the future.
– To accomplish this objective, the accumulation of objects, particularly in long-lived orbits, must be 
eliminated or curtailed.
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Fragmentation Debris
Spacecraft
Rocket Bodies
Mission-related Debris
Destruction of Fengyun-1C
Collision of Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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National and International 
Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines
• The major space-faring nations have adopted national space debris 
mitigation guidelines, e.g., USA (1995), Japan (1996), France (1999), Russian 
Federation (2000), and China (2005).
• Europe’s five leading space agencies established a Code of Conduct for 
Space Debris Mitigation in 2006.
– ESA and the national space agencies from France, Germany, Italy, and the UK
• The first international set of space debris mitigation guidelines was created 
by the then 11 members of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination 
Committee in 2002.
– Find at http://www.iadc-online.org/index.cgi?item=docs_pub
• The United Nations, through the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer 
Space and its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, approved a set of 
space debris mitigation guidelines in 2007.
– Find at 
http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/library/Space%20Debris%20Mitigation%20Guidelines_
COPUOS.pdf
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Extent of Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines
• The scope of the United Nations Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines is representative 
of other national and international space debris mitigation guidelines.
– Guideline 1: Limit debris released during normal operations
– Guideline 2: Minimize the potential for break-ups during operational phases
– Guideline 3: Limit the probability of accidental collision in orbit
– Guideline 4: Avoid intentional destruction and other harmful activities
– Guideline 5: Minimize potential for post-mission break-ups resulting from stored energy
– Guideline 6: Limit the long-term presence of spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages in the low-
Earth orbit (LEO) region after the end of their mission
• Includes the mitigation of reentry risks to people and property on Earth 
– Guideline 7: Limit the long-term interference of spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages with 
geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) region after the end of their mission
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Application of Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines
• National and international space debris mitigation guidelines are applicable 
to all spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages, regardless of mission, 
size, or power source.
Space debris mitigation guidelines apply to all small satellites.
• Typically, satellites with a mass of less than 100 kg easily meet guidelines 
covering the intentional release of debris, accidental breakups, post-
mission passivation, and reentry risks.
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Small Satellites and the LEO and GEO 
Protected Regions
• To date, the most frequent violation of space debris mitigation guidelines  
by small satellites is persistence in the low Earth orbit region following 
mission termination, i.e., residual lifetimes in excess of 25 years.
– Potential solutions include 
• post-mission orbit changes (via propulsion or drag augmentation) or 
• limiting operational orbits to below ~700 km, depending upon ballistic coefficient.
– The relatively short operational lifetimes and increasing number of small satellite make 
compliance with this guideline especially important.
• The deployment of small satellites in the geosynchronous region should be 
avoided.  If high altitude orbits are necessary, orbital regimes above or 
below the GEO protected region (GEO +/- 200 km) are recommended.
– If small satellites are deployed within the GEO region, they are subject to standard 
GEO spacecraft disposal guidelines, i.e., removal from the GEO protected region after 
end of mission.
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Trackability of Small Satellites
• To limit the probability of accidental collisions (UN Space Debris Mitigation 
Guideline 3), small satellites should be trackable by established space 
surveillance systems.
• Small satellites with at least one dimension of 10 cm or larger are normally 
trackable in LEO by ground-based radar networks.  
• Small satellites with at least one dimension of 80 cm or larger are normally 
trackable in GEO by ground-based radar or optical networks.
• In many cases trackability can be enhanced with simple passive devices 
which can boost optical or radar signatures.
– Corner reflectors
– Dipoles
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Small Satellite Constellations
• Space debris mitigation guidelines do not explicitly limit the number of 
operational satellites in a constellation.
• However, concepts to deploy very large numbers (100’s or 1000’s) of small 
satellites should be carefully examined for negative environmental 
consequences.
• Large numbers of non-maneuverable small satellites in narrow orbital 
regimes would increase collision probabilities not only among themselves, 
but also with other resident space objects, both functional and non-
functional.
• The addition of large numbers of new satellites would also further stress 
existing conjunction assessment processes.
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Summary
• During the past two decades, great strides have been made in the 
international community regarding orbital debris mitigation for the purpose 
of preserving near-Earth space for future generations.
• The majority of space-faring nations have reached a consensus on an initial 
set of orbital debris mitigation measures.
• Implementation of and compliance with the IADC and UN space debris 
mitigation guidelines should be a high priority for all spacecraft and launch 
vehicle designers and operators.
• These space debris mitigation guidelines apply to spacecraft of all sizes.


Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines

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