From Mark Cole
Gloucester
Has it not occurred to anyone else that there is an obvious way to start
addressing the space junk problem (Forum, 17 May, p 49).
Companies in any Earth-bound industry are expected to safely and effectively
deal with their hazardous waste products. If any new company can’t afford to
clean up after itself then it is out of business before it starts. I would argue
that if Teledesic can afford to invest in the technical expertise needed to get
its satellites into orbit in the first place, it must also be able to afford to
tidy up after the job is done and on an ongoing basis. This goes for any other
company planning to “pollute” Earth’s orbit.
Money raised from such companies could pay for the setting up of a
salvage-type operation which would act as an orbital garbage collection service
on behalf of orbit users. Companies expecting to make a vast fortune from the
service their satellites will provide should work this into their financial
budgets and put up or shut up.
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