Mission Impossible? Artificial Intelligence, Space Debris, and the Legal Implications for Space Sustainability

The escalating problem of space debris presents a global security threat. Even small particles, travelling at high speeds, pose severe risks to satellites integral to modern communication, navigation, and defense systems. The proliferation of space debris increases the probability of collisions, which could trigger a cascading effect known as the Kessler Syndrome, thereby intensifying the risk of further debris generation and amplifying the threat to operational space assets. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers promising solutions to mitigate the space debris phenomenon by enhancing detection, tracking, and removal operations. However, the integration of AI connected to the space debris phenomenon raises a series of concerns. Malfunctions of AI systems deployed in the controlled environment of planet Earth revealed the technology’s vulnerabilities. There is a risk that such technological flaws will increase in the unforeseen environment of outer space. From a legal perspective, AI-operated debris removal missions may challenge the provisions of international space law, such as the interpretation of jurisdiction associated with non-consensual debris removal missions, liability for damage caused by AI technologies deployed for identifying or removing debris, and the impact of AI-operated debris removal missions on the weaponization of outer space. This chapter investigates the techno-solutionism connected to the role of AI systems in the space debris crisis through the lens of the laws applicable to human activities in outer space. Furthermore, it proposes a series of guiding principles aimed at framing a responsible deployment of AI for sustainable space activities.