US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which for a long time tried to become a "sheriff" in Earth orbit, recently it seemed. After loud promises to introduce strict rules for the disposal of spent rocket stages, management officially abandoned its intentions. The FAA concession is the result of a complex interweaving of big politics, ambitions of billionaires and economic expediency, which, it seems, outweighed the safety of future generations.
After that, how a rocket brings a satellite to a given position, its upper stage—a giant metal structure with residual fuel—is often left adrift. According to the European Space Agency (THIS), it is precisely such "dead" objects that make up close 11% from all objects in orbit, which can be tracked. The problem is, that their orbits degrade over time, and they begin an uncontrolled fall. Large pieces of metal may not burn completely in the atmosphere, posing a threat to humans on Earth. But they are even more dangerous in orbit: even a small particle of paint, that was exfoliated from the old degree, at cosmic speeds turns into a projectile, capable of destroying a working telecommunications satellite or damaging the International Space Station.
In September 2023 year, the FAA proposed a revolutionary strategy. Commercial companies had to choose one of five options for a "civilized" farewell to their equipment: controlled return (the rocket uses leftover fuel, to drop purposefully into a deserted area of the ocean); orbit-cemetery (moving the degree to a much higher one, a less loaded orbit, where he will not disturb anyone for thousands of years); exit trajectory (sending a degree into deep space, beyond the gravitational influence of the Earth); the five-year rule (guaranteed reentry into the atmosphere within a short time after launch); uncontrolled combustion (trajectory calculation, so that the object is guaranteed to disintegrate into small safe fragments during friction with the air). The goal was to equalize the rules: US government missions have long followed similar standards, while the private sector has so far enjoyed a legal vacuum.
However, such giants, like SpaceX and Blue Origin, met these initiatives with bayonets. The main argument was the price. Recycling requires additional fuel, more complex management system and, in accordance, reduces the payload, which the rocket can put into orbit. For business, where each kilogram is worth thousands of dollars, it meant direct losses. Companies have also resorted to legal casuistry, questioning the right of the FAA to intervene in space debris at all. They claimed, that the agency's jurisdiction ends there, where the vacuum begins. Under this pressure in January 2026 year, the FAA officially backed down, stating, that the issue needs "further study".
The FAA's decision fits perfectly into the overall US political landscape. The administration of President Donald Trump has made a bet on the maximum promotion of commercial space. In August 2025 year, the president signed the decree, who effectively declared war on "bureaucratic barriers". According to this policy, environmental reviews and strict licensing conditions are seen as obstacles to American leadership in space. In the world, where China and other states are actively increasing their presence in orbit, Washington decided not to burden its own developers with unnecessary costs for "cleaning".
Source: https://universemagazine.com