Interagency Report on Orbital Debris bY Office of Science and Technology Policy November 1995 About the Cover When an explosron occurs rn space many fragments are generated and each has a slrghtly different velocrty The paths of the many fragments are rllustrated In this Image As they progress through the orbrt they converge at the point at which the explosion occurred and agarn on the opposrte side of the orbit Over trme the orbits of the lndivrdual fragments precess relative to one another and become separated About the NatIonat Scrence and Technology Counol President Clinton established the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) by Executive Order on November 23, 1993 Thrs cabrnet-level council IS the primary means for the President to coordinate science, space, and technology policies across the Federal Government NSTC acts as a “virtual” agency for sctence and technology to coordinate the diverse parts of the Federal research and development enterprise The NSTC IS charred by the President Membership consrsts of the Vice President. Assistant to the Presrdent for Science and Technology, Cabrnet Secretanes and Agency Heads with significant science and technology responsibrlrtles, and other sensor White House offrcrals An important obfectrve of the NSTC IS the establishment of clear natlonal goals for Federal science and technology Investments In areas ranging from information technologies and health research, to Improving transportation systems and strengthening fundamental research The Council prepares research and development strategies that are coordinated across Federal agencies to form an Investment package that IS aimed at accomplishing multiple national goals To obtain addrtronaf Information regarding the NTSC. contact the NTSC Executive Secretariat at 202-456-6100 About the Offrce of Scrence and Technology PO/ICY The Office of Science of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) was established by the National Scrence and Technology Policy, Organrzatron. and Priontles Act of 1976. OSTP’s responslbrlltres include advrsmg the President in policy formulation and budget development on all questions in which science and technology are important elements; artrculatlng the Presrdent’s science and technology poltcres and programs, and fostering strong partnerships among Federal, State, and local governments, and the scientific communities in industry and academe To obtain addltronal lnformatron regarding the OSTP, contact the OSTP Admrnrstratrve Office at 2023957347 THE WHITE HOUSE c WASHINGTON November 1995 The use and explorationof spaceis vital to our civil, national securtty, and commerctal interests. As the Unned Statesand other spacefaringnattons contmue to open the frontier of space, we must focus on new and better ways to monitor the current orbital debris envtronment and to reduce debris levels in the future. During the past year, the National Scienceand TechnologyCouncil (NSTC), through the Committee on TransportationResearch and Development, undertook an Interagency revtew of the US government’s1989 Interagency Report on OrbItal Debris As part of this process.the Interagencyrevtew team also consideredthe results of the National Research Council orbital debris technicalassessment study sponsoredby the National Aeronauticsand SpaceAdmimstration. This 1995 report updatesthe findings and recommendationsof the 1989 report and reflects our progress in understandmgand managingthe orbital debris environment. It provtdes an up-to-dateportrait of our measurement,modehng, and mitigation efforts, and a set of recommendationsouthning specific steps we should pursue, both domesticallyand internationally, to minimize the potenttal hazardsposed by orbttal debrts. o the President for Scienceand Technology This computer-generated view Illustrates the population of Earth orblt satellites on December 14, 1990. and IS typical of such a view at any time In the lower Image are those In low Earth orbit predominantly below 2000 km Most of the satellites are e!ther at very high Incllnatton, nearly crossing the poles, or at relatively low Incllnatlon. rarely going above thirty degrees latitude In the upper Image the view IS from far out tn space, one can see the geostattonary arc over the equator and the highly inclined Molnla orbits used by the Russians for communication at the very high latitudes c Table of Contents CommIttee on Transportation Research and Development Acknowledgments . Vlll Executive Summary . IX List of Figures . X1 List of Tables . Xl Acronyms and Abbrewations . Part One: Dimensions of the Orbital Debris Problem 1 Chapter 1. The Current Envwonment . 3 Chapter 2. Trends and Imphcatlons 16 Part Two: Current Policies and Actlvitles, Options, and Associated Research Needs 25 Chapter 3 Exlstmg Pohcles Concemmg Space Debris 27 Chapter 4 Momtormg the Debris Environment . 29 Chapter 5 Managlng the Data . 33 Chapter 6 Mmlmlzmg Debris GeneratIon . 34 Chapter 7 Survwmg the Debris Enwronment . 38 Part Three: International Activities, Legal Issues, and Regulation 41 Chapter 8 Intematlonal Cooperation 43 Chapter 9 Legal Issues .45 Chapter 10 Regulation . 48 Part Four: Findings and Recommendations 53 Executive Summary . 59 Appendices . 63 Appendix Hlstory of On-OrbIt Fragmentations . 65 Blbhography . 72 v The FPS-85 phased array radar at Eglln AFB, Flonda This radar IS a major Space Sutvelllance Network facility for tracking satellites and space debris. It IS capable of fracklng several dIRerent objects simultaneously Committee on Transportation Research and Development The Honorable Mortiner L. Downey Deputy Secreky CTRD Charr Department of Transportahon The Honorable Lionel S. Johns Assocmte Dwectorfor Technology CTRD White House Co-Chmr Offlce of Science and Technology Policy Robert Whitehead, Ph.D. Associate Admmlstrator,For Aeronautrcs CTRD Vice Chmr Nahonal Aeronauhcs and Space Admmlstrahon Noah Rifkln Dwector Technology De$oyment Execuhne Srcretay Department of Transportation W. Bowman Cutter Louise F. Stoll Deputy Assrstant to the Presidentfor Ecow~n~rcPoky Ass&ant Secretnryfor Budget nnd Progrmns National Educahon Council Department of Transportahon The Honorable Paul Kaminski Richard R. John Undersecretary of Defensefor Acqufsrtlon rend Dwecfor ]ohn A Volpe Mrzlronal Transportatron System Technology Center Deparhnent of Defense Research and Special Program Admmlstratlon Bob Litan David M. Gardiner Assocmte Dlrectorfor General Government and Fmance AssIstant Admlnlstrator of Polxy, Plannmg, and Office of Management and Budget Evaluation Enwonmental Protechon Agency Mary L. Good, Ph.D. Undersecreta y for Technology Department of Commerce John A. Riggs Actzng Assistant Secreta yjor Polrcy, Plannq, and Program Evaluation Department of Energy vii Acknowledgments The followmr mdlvlduals and orgaruzatlons contributed to this report as members of the Interagency Workmg Group V Offlce of Science and Technology Polq Dlrector of Central Intelhgence Jeff Hofgard (Co-Chair) Parley Newman Terry Butler Na’nonal Security Council Steve Jones (Co-Chair) Federal Communlcatlons Commlsslon Karl Kensmger Katlonal Aeronautics and Space Admmlstratlon Krlstl Kendall George M Levm Beth Masters Office of Management and Budget Dr Donald iA4Clrller Denms Sml th Reruta Anderson Department of State Jeffrey Maclure The followmg mdlvlduals partlclpated as the Ken Hodgkms orlgmal draftmg commrttee Department of Transportation National .4eronautlcs and Space Admmlstratlon Derek Lang Donald J Kessler Ruben Mitchell George M Levm Esta Rosenberg Joseph P Loftus, Jr Dr Andrew E Potter, Jr Department of Commerce Montrese Chandler Department of Defense Chris Meyers LTC Lawrence Anderson Keith Calhoun-Senghor John Clark LT Scott Maethner Department of Defense Dr Eric T Pierce LTC Wllllam Gardner MAJ .4lbert Remhart MAJ Ed l’h~lhps LTC Mark Rochhn LTC Mark Rochlm Department of State Department of Energy Jeffrey ?vlaclure Collette Brown Wade Carroll Department of Transportation Beverly Cook Rubm Mitchell Executive Summary The 1989 Report on Orbltal Debris noted the take any mltlgatlon action could lead to slgnlhcant lack of defuutlve measurements on the debris increase m orbital debris m the coming years environment Smce that time NASA, with the Assummg a contmuatlon ot launch activity at the assistance of DOD, has conducted an extensive same average rate as over the last ten years, average program to measure the LEO debris environment future solar cycles, and tuture operational practices There has now emerged a comprehenslve picture of that WIII muumlze but not ehmmate the posslblhty the orbltal debris environment m LEO The current of explosions m orblt. most models predict that an Haystack measurements mdlcate populations a Increasing frachon of future debris will ongmate tactor of two lower than predlcted m 1989 at Space from breakups due to random colhslons between Station altitudes and a factor of two higher at the orblttng oblects The use of operahonal practices to 1000 km alhtude In GEO, however, NASA has limit the orbital hfetlme of spent upper stages and only conducted an exploratory campaign to payloads have the potenhal to mltlgate the growth measure the debris environment Both of these of orbltal debris etforts should contmue m order to rehne our In 1989 National Space Pol~y Dlrectlve-1 understandmg of the current environment as well (KSPD-1) was approved. NSPD-1 called for as to momtor changes II-I the environment with agencies to “seek to mmlmlze the creahon of space hme debris ” Smce that time orbital debris concerns Contnbuhons to the current