In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik. Several months later, the U.S. sent Explorer I into space. With two small objects, the space race began. 

As of March 2025, more than 11,000 satellites are orbiting Earth. According to some estimates, there could be as many as 60,000 by 2030. 

“In the Space Age, space activity was overtly geopolitical, and that’s never really gone away,” said Mariel Borowitz, associate professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and director of the recently launched Center for Space Policy and International Relations. “But the major shift now is the rapid rise of commercial activity and the number of actors in space.”

Space traffic is global by nature — satellites cross over myriad countries while orbiting. Thanks to the Outer Space Treaty, every country has the right to access space. More actors in space, though, mean more trash and more potential collisions. 

Borowitz and her colleagues in the Nunn School analyze and help develop policies on protecting space so it remains safe and usable in the future. In other words, they’re doing everything they can to make sure things don’t blow up. 

Taking Out the (Space) Trash

Thomas González Roberts, a postdoctoral fellow in the Nunn School, has a research portfolio that unites his background in astrodynamics with space governance. One area he specializes in is space debris and its impact on the sustainability of space operations. 

"We define space debris as objects in Earth orbit that are no longer actively being controlled," Roberts said. "A satellite that has run out of fuel, for example, becomes a piece of floating garbage.” 

The issue, he notes, isn't just the large pieces of debris but also the many tiny fragments that go undetected. 

"We can track objects the size of a softball, but anything smaller is more challenging to spot with current technology," he explained. "These small pieces can still destroy satellites because of their velocity, like a bullet can harm a human."

As such, debris presents not only a physical hazard but also a complex issue for satellite operators trying to navigate these invisible threats. Roberts also highlights the rising number of satellites in popular orbital regimes. Low Earth orbit (LEO) is the closest orbital regime to Earth. Beginning at the upper reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere, it hosts communication and observational satellites and is by far the most congested region of all. 

"There are only a few spots in the near-Earth space environment where satellite operators want to be, effectively making these regions limited natural resources,” he said. “Without proper coordination, these valuable spaces will be overcrowded, making it harder to avoid collisions and creating more debris."

To address these issues, Roberts advocates for better international coordination and the development of more effective space policies. "How operators choose to control their satellites is a form of space policy," he noted. "We need transparent, collaborative policies that encourage more responsible space operations. When a satellite mission is completed, operators should clean up after themselves, ensuring the long-term viability of these orbital regions."

Space Situational Awareness

Space situational awareness (SSA) involves tracking objects in space, predicting their movements, and identifying potential collisions. If a potential collision is detected, the next step is determining whether to issue a warning. Currently, the U.S. military operates the most globally advanced SSA system, providing collision warnings free of charge to spacecraft operators worldwide. However, there is an ongoing effort to shift this mission to a civil agency, the Office of Space Commerce (OSC), because so much of space activity is now international and commercial.

In 2022, Borowitz testified before Congress on transitioning from a military to a civilian SSA system. A few months later, she was invited to join the OSC on a detail to help implement this transition. Currently, she spends half her time there as head of International SSA Engagement. Her work bridges the gap between research and government operations, ensuring that advances in academia inform policy and operations.

Borowitz and Brian Gunter, a professor in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, launched a joint project tackling the complex issue of space traffic coordination, supported by a grant from NASA.

Their detailed simulation model — the Georgia Tech Virtual Environment for Space Traffic Analysis (VESTA) — incorporates real satellite data from military space situational awareness systems to test out possible space traffic coordination rules. 

“One question we’re trying to answer is whether, when we see the possibility of a collision in space, we should have right-of-way rules,” Borowitz said. “We have them on the ground for cars, and we have them in the air and at sea. In space, we have no real concept of right of way.”  

Through this approach, Borowitz and Gunter can test different traffic rules and collision scenarios over months and even years. Their model also assesses the impact of these rules on different countries and companies, and what might happen if some actors choose not to follow them.

“The results of these simulations are crucial for shaping international agreements; they provide concrete data on the potential costs and benefits of unilateral versus multilateral approaches to space governance,” Borowitz said. “This kind of research not only brings technical astrodynamics into policy discussions but also offers valuable insights for negotiating space traffic coordination at a global scale.”

By combining cutting-edge research with real-world policy work, Borowitz, Roberts, and their colleagues are helping ensure that space remains usable for everyone. With their work, the path to a safer space environment is becoming clearer.