ZBC was signed at the 11th ESA/EU Space Council, which was first established in 2004 under the framework agreement between ESA and European Union (EU).
About Zero Debris Charter
- It is a world-leading effort to become debris-neutral in space by 2030.
- It contains both high-level guiding principles and ambitious, jointly defined targets to achieve Zero Debris goal.
- Signatory countries include Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and United Kingdom.
Space Debris
- It refers to all non-functional, man-made objects in Earth orbit or re-entering into Earth atmosphere.
- It includes decommissioned satellites, spent rocket bodies, fragments from spacecraft breakups or collisions, debris from anti-satellite weapon tests, etc.
- There are currently more than one million pieces of space debris larger than one cm in Earth's orbit.
Concerns with Space Debris
- Threat to space infrastructure: Collisions with operational satellites disrupt navigation and communications systems on Earth.
- Kessler syndrome: Uncontrolled growth of debris can lead to an escalating cascade of collisions.
- Risk on Earth: Large space debris that re-enter the atmosphere uncontrollably creates risk to the population on the ground.
- Increased cost: Costly collision avoidance manoeuvres are needed to be performed.
Initiatives for Space Debris Mitigation
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