Cuk and Sasikumar: Space Traffic Control
Dangerous Debris: The Politics and Technology of a Space Traffic Control Regime
Matija Ćuk
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British
Columbia
Karthika Sasikumar
Postdoctoral Fellow, Simons Centre for Nonproliferation and Disarmament Research, Liu
Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia
Presented at the 2006 Annual Convention of the International Studies Association,
San Diego, California
Draft only—suggestions welcome, not for citation
Introduction
As outer space becomes a site for human activity, it is also increasingly polluted by space
debris. Today, of the approximately 10,000 objects larger than 4 inches (10 cm) that are
orbiting in space, only 700 are operational satellites (David 2004). These objects pose a
potential danger to immensely valuable satellite equipment, and could have indirect,
devastating effects on communications, navigation and defense. However, an
international regime to regulate space debris has not yet evolved. Controlling the
production and removal of space debris raises a number of significant technological and
political questions, such as the status of non-state actors (corporations and international
organizations), the rights and responsibilities of the US as the overwhelmingly most
active space-faring nation, and the growing interest in the military uses of space. This
paper will address these questions and discuss possible modifications to existing
international legislation dealing with space.
1
Page 1 of 20 
Convention