{"id":110463,"date":"2024-05-27T20:54:08","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T15:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=110463"},"modified":"2024-05-28T16:44:34","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T11:14:34","slug":"zero-debris-charter","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/zero-debris-charter","title":{"rendered":"Twelve Nations Signed Zero Debris Charter"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently<\/span><b>, Twelve nations have signed the Zero Debris Charter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the<\/span><b> ESA\/EU Space Council <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to make <\/span><b>space activities debris neutral by 2030.<\/b><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.8971%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt; color: #000000;\"><strong>The European Space Agency (ESA):<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">It\u00a0 is Europe\u2019s gateway to space.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Its mission is<\/span><b> to shape the development of Europe\u2019s space capability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><b> ensure that investment in space continues to deliver<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> benefits to the <\/span><b>citizens of Europe and the world.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">ESA\u2019s headquarters are in Paris.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt; color: #000000;\"><strong>EU Space Council:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">ESA\u2019s governing body, the Council, is responsible for drawing up Europe&#8217;s space activities and ensuring the long-term funding of agency activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Each ESA Member State has one vote and is represented by a Council delegate from the ministry responsible for space activities in each Member State.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>About Zero Debris Charter<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-110594 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-28t132204089-6655ba94699de.webp\" alt=\"Zero Debris Charter\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-28t132204089-6655ba94699de.webp 1366w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-28t132204089-6655ba94699de-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-28t132204089-6655ba94699de-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-28t132204089-6655ba94699de-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Zero Debris Charter i<\/span><b>s written by and for the global space community<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the <\/span><b>aim of shaping the global consensus on space sustainability.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Zero Debris Charter is a <\/span><b>world-leading effort<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to become <\/span><b>debris neutral in space by 2030\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It<\/span><b> was unveiled at the ESA Space Summit <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in<\/span><b> Seville meeting in November 2023.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It<\/span><b> emphasizes gathering a wide and varied array of space entities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to<\/span><b> define ambitious and measurable space debris mitigation and remediation targets<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Country Involved :<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom have all pledged to adhere to the charter.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to the 12 countries, <\/span><b>the European Space Agency also signed <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Zero Debris Charter<\/span><b> as an International Organisation (IGO).<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Significance:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It <\/span><b>will solidify <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">their commitment to the<\/span><b> long-term sustainability <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of <\/span><b>human activities in Earth orbit.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.3%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Kessler Syndrome:\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>It <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a possible effect that <\/span><b>if one satellite produces debris that hits another satellite,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> this will <\/span><b>create a chain reaction <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that will obliterate every orbiting object in low earth orbit(LEO), and<\/span><b> thus creating a thick cloud of white dots traveling at high speed.<\/b><\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>What is Space Debris?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Space debris is defined as <\/span><b>all non-functional, artificial objects, including fragments and elements thereof, in Earth orb<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">it or <\/span><b>re-entering into Earth\u2019s atmosphere<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Space debris <\/span><b>tracked by<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> radar and optical detectors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Human-made space debris<\/span><b> dominates over the natural meteoroid environment.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Space Debris ESA estimates that there are <\/span><b>currently more than one million pieces of space debris larger than one cm in Earth orbit.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each of these objects is capable of causing catastrophic damage to space assets.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Risk due to Space Debris <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><b>If quick and decisive action is not taken<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to improve the sustainability of space activities,<\/span><b>exponential growth of this debris <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">population<\/span><b> will pose an ever-increasing hazard to satellites and astronauts <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and could render some orbits entirely unusable.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>India\u2019s Efforts to mitigate Space Debris<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-110593 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-28t132156736-6655ba921f4dd.webp\" alt=\"Zero Debris Charter\" width=\"501\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-28t132156736-6655ba921f4dd.webp 1080w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-28t132156736-6655ba921f4dd-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-28t132156736-6655ba921f4dd-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-28t132156736-6655ba921f4dd-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Debris-Free Space Missions (DFSM) by 2030 : <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/pslv-orbital-experimental-module-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is committed to ensuring that all future space missions are designed to be debris-free by 2030.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This initiative involves incorporating technologies and practices that minimize the generation of new space debris.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>System for Safe &#038; Sustainable Space Operations Management (IS4OM) : It <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aims to enhance the safety and sustainability of space operations.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This system improves the tracking, monitoring, and management of space objects to ensure safer space activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Project NETRA (NEtwork for Space Object TRacking and Analysis)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : Project NETRA is ISRO&#8217;s space situational awareness initiative focused on tracking and analyzing space objects.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It provides critical data for collision avoidance and debris mitigation, contributing significantly to space safety efforts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Space Situational Awareness Control Centre (SSACC): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ISRO has set up a<\/span><b> SSACC<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to <\/span><b>protect its high-value assets from close approaches and collisions with inactive satellites<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, pieces of orbiting objects, and <\/span><b>even near-earth asteroids.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Zero Debris Milestone : Recently, Indian Space Research Organisation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ISRO<\/span><b>) attained a significant milestone<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in s<\/span><b>pace debris reduction, stating that its PSLV-C58\/XPoSat mission left Zero debris in Earth\u2019s orbit<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>International Efforts to Mitigate Zero Debris<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently there are <\/span><b>no specific international laws addressing debris in Low Earth Orbit <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(LEO), most space-faring nations<\/span><b> adhere to Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines 2002<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, endorsed by the <\/span><b>United Nations in 2007.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Efforts by Various Space Agencies:\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USA: NASA <\/span><b>Orbital debris program<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> since 1979.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Japan: <\/span><b>Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration (CRD2) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China: <\/span><b>Debris Removal through spacecraft with solar sails.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.058%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 36px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 5573.33%; 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