Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: ESA
Context: Recently, twelve nations signed the Zero Debris Charter at the ESA/EU Space Council, committing to making space activities debris-neutral by 2030.
The signatories include Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, alongside the European Space Agency (ESA) as an International Organisation. This initiative, first introduced at the ESA Space Summit in November 2023, aims to lead global efforts in space debris mitigation and remediation.
What is the Zero Debris Charter?
The Zero Debris Charter aims to achieve debris-neutrality in space by 2030. The Charter is part of ESA’s comprehensive Zero Debris approach, which involves significant internal reforms and the development of debris mitigation technologies under its Space Safety Programme. ESA estimates over one million pieces of space debris larger than one-centimetre orbit Earth, posing severe risks to satellites and astronauts.
Space debris, comprising non-functional objects in Earth orbit, poses threats to infrastructure and increases collision risks. India’s initiatives include Debris Free Space Missions (DFSM) by 2030 and Project NETRA for space situational awareness. Globally, efforts like the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee and Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines are crucial for addressing this issue.
