Tax measures in service of humankind – tangible methods for preventing excessive congestion of low earth orbit and the occurrence of Kessler syndrome

Abstract

In 2025 over 36,400 cataloged objects and more than 130 million accumulated space debris orbit Earth in LEO. Number of objects launched to LEO is steadily increasing, with over million scheduled to launch in the future that are to operate in more than 300 mega constellations. Unregulated usage of these capabilities could diminish established achievements of movements towards sustainable use of Outer Space, LEO in particular. The paper will analyze implementation of additional tax measures on launches to LEO, by outlining what types of tax measures could provide the most feasible method to reduce number of satellites in LEO. Accordingly, a possibility of provision of tax incentives on operations with established scientific goals and possibility to incentivize orbit retrieval rates will be considered. Finally, paper will analyze how introduced tax measures would contribute to sustainable usage and development of LEO.