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hubie [soylentnews.org] writes:

Call to manage satellite 'traffic' [flinders.edu.au]:

Rapidly evolving technology and space debris reported in several places around the world – including pieces of a Chinese Long March 5B Rocket in the Indian Ocean – signal the need for a new era for regulation of space, Flinders University experts say.

Their timely new report is calling on governments to pay more attention to the use of low-Earth orbit as space laws and technologies race ahead at high speed.

[...] "While there are laws that cover space activities, they are already under stress because of the speed at which the commercial space industry is evolving," says research associate in space law Joel Lisk, from the Jeff Bleich Centre at Flinders University's College of Business, Government and Law.

"There is a need to work towards ensuring that we have broad and flexible regulatory settings that are geared to rapid change and future developments.

"Without these ambitious and progressive steps, we risk reducing commercial activity, lower levels of investment – and society will miss out on the benefits that can be derived from this important sector."

Large corporations are moving rapidly to establish large-scale LEO deployments and provide services around the world, in what has been described as a 'gold rush'.

[...] "We also need to weigh up the risks against the advantages of opening up promising new low-cost channels of communication and connectivity, as well as Internet of Things and Machine-to-Machine applications, that could bring significant benefits to remote and financially disadvantaged communities."

As well as spectrum capacity and management of debris which may cause harm in space or on Earth, the Flinders report considers several other complex challenges including physical and spectral interference management; optical and radio astronomy, including casual night sky viewing; and competition between operators in the LEO region.

Report: Low Earth Orbit, satellite constellations and regulation [apo.org.au]

Original Submission