Proposed Series of Orbital Debris Remediation Activities

Orbital debris is a growing hazard to reliable space operations and the sustainability of space-based systems that increasingly support national security and economic stability for many countries. Short-term attention has been focused on collision avoidance for operational payloads and enhanced debris mitigation guideline compliance while long-term attention has been focused on studying debris remediation via Active Debris Removal (ADR). These three activities must be continued and augmented by three new efforts that work together to provide improved debris remediation activities to enhance space flight safety. The three new efforts are (1) an international Spacecraft Anomalies and Failures Workshop; (2) Massive Collision Monitoring Activity (MCMA) operations; and (3) Just-in-time Collision Avoidance (JCA) development. This paper provides a plan that is focused on maintaining progress in three existing initiatives and starting three new ones.