Cleaning Up Space: Progressive Law and Environmental Justice Across Borders

Abstract The escalating problem of space debris, resulting from obsolete satellites, abandoned rockets stages, and other pieces, poses a important threat to the sustainability of space-based technologies and the safety of future space missions. By 2022, over 70% to items in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) were classified as debris, increasing the risk of collisions between operational satellites and these remnants. Such collisions can generate even more debris, potentially triggering the Kessler Syndrome, a cascade effect that could render space unusable. This paper emphasizes the urgency of integrating space debris management into global frameworks, like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to ensure the long-term viability of space infrastructure. It advocates for creating a new SDG specifically focused on space sustainability and calls for an updated legal framework, including a modernised version to the Outer Space Treaty. Using a juridical-normative methodology, this research analyses existing legal instruments and highlights the need for binding international agreements and coordinated global efforts to address space debris effectively. Through such cooperation, outer space remains a viable resource for future generations, supporting global development goals, environmental justice, and technological advancement.