###### Abstract  
Since 1957, the near-Earth population of trackable space objects has grown in number to over 36,000. Of these 36,000+ trackable objects now in low Earth orbit, just a few thousand are working spacecraft. The rest are Earth-orbiting objects which are no longer operational and are considered to be space junk. Because this junk can no longer receive maneuvering commands from its Earth-based owners, the survivability of other spacecraft traveling through or operating in Earth orbit can be jeopardized by the impacts of any number of pieces of this space junk, whose origins can usually be traced back to defunct satellites. As a result, a major design parameter for Earth-orbiting spacecraft is the possibility of such high-speed impacts and the damage they can cause. Furthermore, several private companies are now launching several thousand spacecraft into Earth orbit, many of which are satellites built for communication purposes. Other satellites have been launched to expand the reach of the World Wide Web and to provide better tools for disaster management. Two questions quickly become evident, namely, what is the beneficial purpose of these large satellite constellations, and what are some of the deleterious consequences of their proliferation? Numerous topics related to space debris will be discussed in this paper, including issues in space law that concern the growing problem of orbital debris. In the end, several areas of concern will be noted that are vital to the continuing presence of humans in near-Earth space and must be addressed as the near-Earth orbital environment becomes more congested and space traffic management becomes more difficult. space debris; legal issues; liability; accountability; satellite constellations; space traffic management 2025202020252020252020252020252020252020252020252020252020252020252020252020252020252020252020252020252020252025202025202520252020252025202520  
Since this space junk, which is also called'space debris' or 'orbital debris', can no longer receive maneuvering commands, the survivability of other spacecraft traveling through or operating in Earth orbit can be jeopardized by the high-speed impacts of this debris. As a result, a major design parameter for Earth-orbiting spacecraft is the possibility of such high-speed impacts and the damage they can cause--even a marble-sized piece of debris can cause catastrophic damage or destroy a fully functional satellite. A recent development since approx. 2019 is that several private companies have launched several thousand satellites into low- to middle-Earth-orbit. Although these satellites are geared primarily towards communications, they expand the World Wide Web into a space-based operation. While individual satellites provide only limited coverage areas, a system of satellites (also known as a \"satellite constellation\") can provide a much wider area of coverage. According to publicly available plans (which are being frequently updated), we can expect upwards of 88,000 satellite launches in such satellite constellations within the next ten years [2]. Two questions quickly become evident, namely, what is the beneficial purpose of these satellite constellations, and what might be some of the deleterious consequences of their proliferation? This paper addresses an important gap in the existing literature. While there are many technically oriented papers related to orbital debris and an increasing number of papers related to space law and its application to space debris, there are few, if any, papers that bridge the gap between these two areas by addressing both issues at the same time. This paper attempts to do exactly that. Namely, by providing an introduction to both areas herein, this paper creates a foundation that can lead to a bridge connecting these two distinct, but related, areas of space debris study. In this paper, numerous topics related to space debris will be discussed, as well as issues in space law that concern the growing problem of orbital debris.