XU Wei-di
Space Debris Research.
2021, 21(1):
18-25.
Space security and space traffic management are interwoven and overlapped in many aspects, penetrating all aspects of human space.There are several noteworthy trends in space security at present and in the near future.First of all, space activities around the world are frequent, and international competition in space is intensified.The most prominent phenomenon here is the competition of LEO small satellite constellation, which may change the world space pattern and make the space traffic management problem more serious and urgent.Moon landing and Mars exploration are active again, indicating that space traffic management may need to go to deep space.Secondly, the problem of space debris in low Earth orbit is becoming more and more serious.There is not only the risk of asteroids brushing pass or hitting the Earth, but also the risk of a “haze like” explosion of debris in low Earth orbit.And the competition of LEO small satellite constellation may make the big explosion come ahead of time.Worryingly, the prospect of international cooperation to prevent and suppress space debris is not optimistic.Thirdly, space security and network security are moving towards integration, which not only has the positive side of promoting the world space industry to be more intelligent, more accurate and more cost-effective, but also implies the negative side of space hegemony.Fourthly, the climax of the construction of international space laws and regulations is not far away.In addition to the fair and equitable allocation of frequency and orbit resources and the legal issues brought about by space mining, space traffic management will also be the focus.In this process, the integration of technology and politics, and the interweaving of cooperation and competition will test the ability and quality of all relevant countries and personnel.This paper aims to investigate the current and near future space security situation from the perspective of space traffic management, analyze the space security threats and challenges facing China, and put forward some suggestions on China's possible countermeasures.