Space Security Index

approximately six weeks later. NASA also conducted a series of 12 maneuvers in June to
move its rst Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-1) to a disposal orbit above the
protected GEO region. e remaining fuel was then expended to passivate the satellite.
NASA also reported that it has placed two rocket stages in high perigee geosynchronous
transfer orbits after launching payloads into GEO. ese transfer orbits are above the
protected LEO region and below the protected GEO region, and thus minimize the risks of
orbital collision as well as risks posed to people and property on Earth from reentry.
An annual European Space Agency (ESA) report on the geosynchronous region stated that
at least 16 satellites reached end-of-life in 2010. Of these, only 11 were properly disposed of
in accordance with IADC guidelines. Four satellites were not placed in high enough orbits,
and thus have a chance of interfering with the active GEO belt in the future. One satellite,
operated by Turkey, appears to have been abandoned in the protected GEO zone.
2010 Development
International awareness of orbital debris problem increases and progress on solutions continues
In April, the Institutes of Air and Space Law at McGill University and the University of
Cologne held an International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris in Cologne,
Germany. 75 e event followed up on a May 2009 Congress in Montreal, Canada. e
2010 event brought together 30 experts in engineering, policy, law, and science to develop
recommendations for dealing with the problem of space debris. 76 e recommendations
were released in early 2011.
On 28 June, the Obama Administration unveiled the new U.S. National Space Policy,
which called for greater international cooperation and encouraged/urged U.S. leadership to
tackle the problem of space debris. e National Space Policy emphasized the importance of
the long-term sustainability of outer space to U.S. national interests. It called for continued
development and adoption of national and international space debris mitigation guidelines,
and directed NASA and the Secretary of Defense to pursue research and development of
technologies and techniques to remove orbital debris. (For further information on the U.S.
National Space Policy see Chapter 3.)
Over the course of 2010, three meetings focused on the issue of active removal of orbital
debris. In April, the International Science and Technology Center organized a Space Debris
Mitigation Workshop in Moscow. 77 e event brought together 50 scientists and engineers
from 10 countries to discuss the space debris problem, debris mitigation, and methods of
removing debris from orbit. 78 On 22 June, the French national space agency hosted the
rst European Workshop on Active Debris Removal in Paris. More than 120 participants
from 10 European countries, Canada, Japan, and the U.S. gathered to promote European
awareness and highlight potential commercial opportunities. 79
In October, the Secure World Foundation, in partnership with International Space University
and Beihang University, held the 2010 Beijing Orbital Debris Mitigation Workshop at the
Beihang campus. 80 e 50 participants, including students and faculty from universities in
the U.S., Europe, Japan, Russia, and China, discussed orbital debris removal and related
issues. 81 is event was noteworthy as the rst on orbital debris removal to include signicant
Chinese participation.
e European Union proposal for a Code of Conduct on Outer Space Activities was released
in an updated form in October 2010, after approval by the Council of the European Union. 82
The Space Environment
37