In recent years, space debris has become a matter of considerable importance within the public perception of spaceflight activities. As media coverage, outreach activities and stakeholder interest in orbital waste gain more and more relevance, so does the question of how space debris can be understood as a sociotechnical challenge that contemporary and future societies depending on space-based services need 70to address. Similar to problems like climate change or marine pollution, space debris appears as a sustainability issue of global magnitude that requires us to think about outer space in terms of a sustainable societal future. Yet, space debris also differs from such seemingly comparable challenges in some regards, as, for example, it is only to be understood within the context of recent space sector developments like the rise of New Space. Paying attention to security concerns as well as the specific ecological status of outer space environments, we outline possible avenues to painting a better picture of space debris’ role in contemporary public and policy debates. Bringing to the table a perspective influenced by Science and Technology Studies (STS), we thereby highlight space debris to be a bidirectional risk phenomenon. We conclude, that broader societal engagement in facing the challenge of space debris might be vital for handling it efficiently and effectively and propose potential vectors for stakeholder participation.     «

In recent years, space debris has become a matter of considerable importance within the public perception of spaceflight activities. As media coverage, outreach activities and stakeholder interest in orbital waste gain more and more relevance, so does the question of how space debris can be understood as a sociotechnical challenge that contemporary and future societies depending on space-based services need 70to address. Similar to problems like climate change or marine pollution, space debris a...     »