October 4th, 1957 marked the beginning of an era, an era of exploring the unknown.

Sputnik,
which was the world's first artificial satellite, marked the beginning of the space era. The launch
of sputnik resulted in the creation of human-made orbital debris—the first piece being the rocket
stage that launched the artificial satellite and the second being the satellite itself. Subsequently
the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) was established in the year 1957
with the purpose of promoting and facilitating peaceful international cooperation in outer space.

On June 29th, 1961, the first ever breakup of a satellite happened when Thor-Ablestar rocket
upper stage exploded. This marked the first ever satellite break up creating more than 200
cataloged fragments. 1978 marked the publishing of a famous paper by NASA scientist that
predicted the Kessler Syndrome, a condition where the number of space debris would
continuously grow from collisions alone and would not be based on new launch activities. The
total no of orbital fragmentation events has increased to 250 as of now there are 14,000 pieces of
space debris in the world, but the actual number may reach millions by some estimates as most
fragments of space debris are too small to be counted but they can cause immense damage.

In 1999, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) released its Technical
Report on Space Debris. This report highlighted the growing concern about space debris and its
potential risks to spacecraft in Earth orbit. In 1994 the United Nations adopted A/RES/48/39 at
its Forty-eighth session calling for all member states to prioritize the problem of space debris and
continue national research and improve monitoring technology and considered the problem of
space debris a concern for all nations.

In 2007 the united nation set up Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space this set basic guidelines that should be considered for the mission
planning, design, manufacture and operational of space crafts and launch vehicles.

On December 11th, 2013, the United Nations adopted A/RES/68/74 in which it recommended
national legislation should be made in order to promote sustainable use of space and manage
space debris. Today space is increasingly becoming privatized and commercial space flights are
becoming more common, so it is necessary to find a solution to this pressing issue.