Context and perspectives of sub-orbital activities and transit through airspace/ground support activities

Abstract

This paper provides some considerations on the current context and perspectives concerning the sub-orbital activities and transit through airspace/ground support activities issued in the frame of the IAF-IAA-IISL Working Group on Space Traffic Management (STM). The group brought together experts from different backgrounds and countries in order to analyze the different aspects of these activities, namely, technically, programmatically, and legally.The rise in space activities, both orbital and suborbital, increases the number of possible interactions with national airspace, inducing potential problems of traffic management. Spacecraft transiting through airspace (both international and national) involve different objects (satellites, launch vehicles, rocket bodies, suborbital vehicles, aircraft …) and missions with varied associated risks. These risks can be generally characterized by the time in airspace, the velocity of spacecraft, and its altitude. Despite the increase in space activities, there are currently no binding international rules specific for spacecraft traversing through airspace. However, there are guidelines, national frameworks, recommendations from organizations (e.g. UN-COPUOS, OSI) covering part of the interaction of space activities and transit through airspace. Additionally, some may argue customary international law exists in the current practice of preventing fallout during launch/re-entry activity into sovereign airspace.The rising number of spaceports, both for orbital and suborbital missions, contribute to increase of space traffic in terms of location of the launch sites and of widespread type of launch and re-entry missions.The working group focused on the identification of the objects to be considered for this interaction, the current available rules and guidelines, the recommendations issued by specific organizations on the subject, and the experts’ advice in order to have a global view of the context and summarize some general recommendations for future operations.