• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.49-56
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• 2019

The Long-Term Sustainability (LTS) guidelines have attracted the most attention in the recent formation of international norms of behavior regarding outer space activities. The discussion began at the U.N. COPUOS in 2010. In June 2019, the 21 guidelines were finally adopted. The guidelines include international cooperation to promote and support the observation of the situation of orbiting objects, including space debris, for the purpose of preserving the space environment indefinitely, sharing data and forecasts on space weather, and announcing each country's space policy in accordance with international law. Some guidelines have failed to reach a consensus as the mitigation of space debris is often difficult to separate from space weapons tests. As plans for small satellites and Rendezvous and Proximity Operations have been projected for the future, it is expected that each countries' position on preserving the space environment will become more acute.