Space traffic management: concepts and practices

The value of a space traffic management system must weigh the historical and legally entrenched concept of the freedom of operation in near-Earth orbit against the potential benefits of a new regulatory regime. Most spacefaring nations do not yet exert control over the selection of orbital parameters for new space systems within their own countries, much less in an international context. The need for and potential effectiveness of such intrusive space traffic management in the foreseeable future have not yet been clearly established.