Space debris mitigation guidelines 2007

The article analyzes the international legal problems of anthropogenic pollution of near space. The problem of space debris becomes actual since recent increasing «accidents in space». This problem has several dimensions: technological, political and juridical. The first involves the adoption by States of a number of different technical activities: monitoring and identifying sources of debris, modeling, protection of space vehicles, as well as reducing space debris. Until recently, all these actions were carried out by States on their own initiative. In 2007 the UN General Assembly Resolution 62/217 adopted «Space debris mitigation guidelines». This document is not binding and falls under the category of «soft law», in the meantime on the basis of these principles in the future it is planned to adopt a single binding international legal instrument.