Smallsat Industry Must Proactively Self-Police for Debris Issues, Space Angels Says

Small-satellite operators need to be concerned with growing space debris problems because such satellites are generally less agile in orbit, with underpowered propulsion systems, and because the proliferation of planned smallsat constellations is a likely debris source, space investing firm Space Angels blogged Monday. It said beyond commercial approaches being proposed, such as better debris tracking, the smallsat industry has an obligation to self-police -- perhaps through the proposed Smallsat Space Traffic Safety Consortium -- before a catastrophic incident leads "to reactionary government regulations after the fact."