Towards space traffic management system

Space is getting more and more crowded because of the increasing number of space objects and the limited availability of prime orbital locations. The continual situation makes space operations more and more complicated by the time passes. This complexity requires more international coordination and data to be considered. The paper makes the case for a space traffic management system (STMS) and proposes a reference model for STMS. The proposed STMS performs five main services: Space Monitoring & Tracking Service, Space Data Management Service, Space Operation Service, Space Warning Service and Space Conflict Management Service. The paper elaborates and explains these services, taking into consideration the political and especially technical challenges together with pertinent international law, regulations and accepted practice. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All fights reserved.