The Outer Space Treaty (OST) is the foundation of all international space regulation. It establishes space as the province of all humankind and promotes its peaceful use and exploration for the benefit and in the interests of all countries. In 2020, the FCC released its “Mitigation of Orbital Debris in the New Space Age” guidelines for commercial satellite applicants. While these guidelines appear to substantively address the risks posed by orbital debris to Earth and space industries, they fail to do so in two key areas: (1) by not adopting specific requirements for applicants to share data needed to effectively establish space situational awareness (SSA); and (2) by not requiring applicants to prepare an Environmental Assessment on low Earth orbits (LEO). This article exposes fatal flaws in how the FCC regulates satellite operator access to LEO by examining how the regulation of satellite constellations enables the creation of orbital debris and occupation of orbital shells in a manner that may compromise Earth's satellite-based information infrastructure and violate the OST, and it recommends legislative language that will ensure FCC regulations are in compliance with the OST and are sufficient for establishing SSA. Given the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in West Virginia v. EPA, adopting such language constitutes a clear congressional authorization to protect Earth's orbital environment and helps operationalize the OST's proclamation that spacefaring activities be for the benefit and in the interests of all countries.

中文翻译：

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保护地球和太空工业免受轨道碎片的侵害：实施《外层空间条约》以填补 FCC 轨道碎片指南中的监管真空

《外层空间条约》(OST) 是所有国际空间规则的基础。它将太空确立为全人类的领地，并促进太空的和平利用和探索，造福于所有国家。2020年，FCC为商业卫星申请者发布了《新太空时代轨道碎片减缓》指南。虽然这些指南似乎实质性地解决了轨道碎片对地球和航天工业构成的风险，但它们在两个关键领域未能做到这一点：(1) 没有对申请人共享有效建立空间态势感知所需数据的具体要求（社会保障局）；(2) 不要求申请人准备低地球轨道 (LEO) 环境评估。本文通过检查卫星星座的监管如何以可能损害地球基于卫星的信息基础设施并违反 OST 的方式导致轨道碎片的产生和轨道外壳的占用，揭示了 FCC 如何监管卫星运营商访问 LEO 的致命缺陷，并推荐立法语言，以确保 FCC 法规符合 OST 并足以建立 SSA。鉴于最高法院 2022 年的裁决 它推荐的立法语言将确保 FCC 法规符合 OST 并足以建立 SSA。鉴于最高法院 2022 年的裁决 它推荐的立法语言将确保 FCC 法规符合 OST 并且足以建立 SSA。鉴于最高法院 2022 年的裁决西弗吉尼亚州诉 EPA，采用这样的语言构成了国会对保护地球轨道环境的明确授权，并有助于实施 OST 的声明，即航天活动是为了所有国家的利益和利益。