Science on the Hill

Safeguarding the Sky: The Science & Policy of Space Junk

The eighth annual Science on the Hill event brought together policy leaders and scientists in a panel discussion on our planet’s increasingly crowded orbital environment. 

Skyrocketing numbers of orbital launches and atmospheric reentries are bringing rapid and perhaps profound changes to the environments of low-Earth orbit and our planet’s upper atmosphere. Thanks in large part to burgeoning plans for satellite “mega constellations,” the global launch industry is on track to loft as many as 50,000 new satellites into orbit by 2030. As low-Earth orbit becomes more crowded, the potential for major problems grows in the heavens and on Earth alike: besides the space-based hazards posed by probable increases in space junk, the proliferation of mega constellations could also interfere with delicate scientific studies of the cosmos and dramatically boost the amount of metallic pollution entering the stratosphere from the fiery reentry of spacecraft and debris.

Discussion at the event addressed the following questions:

  • How has the orbital space debris landscape changed over the last decade, and what does the future look like?
  • How can we clarify the nature and extent of space junk’s effects on the stratosphere?
  • What risks do mega constellations pose to observational astronomy, and how might they be mitigated?
  • Do any programs, policies, or incentives exist to address these problems? How could a circular space economy help?

Hosted by: Springer Nature Group, Scientific American, and Nature Portfolio (both part of Springer Nature).

Science on the hill 2024

PRESS RELEASE:

8th Annual Science on the Hill Seeks Congressional Consensus on Solving Space Junk

Read more

Watch the recording of this year's event to hear the discussion in full.

Panelists Michelle L.D. Hanlon, Moriba Jah and Dr. Brian Weeden are joined by Clara Moskowitz and Lee Billings from Scientific American, bridging the worlds of science and policy to discuss the problem and risks of space debris. 

The event was attended by congressional staffers representing elected U.S. officials across the political spectrum from both the House and Senate, as well as staff from the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, NASA, CRS, and others.

Behind the Scenes: Hear from Laura Patton, Head of Government Affairs US at Springer Nature, who orchestrated this year's panel

Learn more about the history of the event, now in its eighth year, what is so special about the format of these events and what the outcomes were.

This year the focus was on Safeguarding the Sky. How did you decide on the topic?
"Because everyone loves space! It's an interesting, exciting topic and a great area for Democrats and Republicans to find common ground. Also, our expert panel, Moriba Jah, Michelle Hanlon, and Brian Weeden, really impressed upon the audience what a critical problem space junk is and why the US government needs to act in this area. I think it was especially striking for the audience that we projected a live feed of all the objects above us at that very moment."

Read the whole interview

Key takaways from the event

Pointing out a gap in governance around space debris cleanup and the urgency needed, Michelle L. D. Hanlon said: “Under the Outer Space Treaty, once you launch something into space, that object is yours. No one can touch it, no one can move it. It’s very hard under the rubric of freedom to make anyone responsible. [...] We are at the tipping point. We have passed the tipping point. Now is the time to act.”

Highlighting the need for the application of sustainable solutions globally, Moriba Jah said: “What we need is a Circular Space Economy. Every single thing we launch into orbit, its fate is to be garbage. [...] I think there is the possibility of a bottom-up approach. You could have countries create recyclable satellites. You could have countries pay to have someone clean up their debris. But there’s nothing to stop other countries from polluting.”

Revealing the problem of space debris as a consequence of mega constellations which are formed from hundreds to thousands of satellites in Earth’s orbital environment, Brian Weeden said: “The more stuff we put up there, there's more chance that it will collide with itself and generate more debris faster than the atmosphere cleans it up.”