Read the following passage carefully and answer the question that follows:
The proliferation of artificial satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has transformed global communication, climate monitoring, and navigation systems. However, this unprecedented orbital expansion has generated a critical byproduct: tens of thousands of pieces of space debris traveling at hypervelocities. The risk of cascading collisions—commonly known as the Kessler syndrome—threatens to render key orbital shells unusable for future generations. While technical solutions such as active debris removal (ADR) and drag-augmentation sails are currently under development, their deployment remains hampered by intricate legal and geopolitical bottlenecks. Under current international space law, notably the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, space objects remain under the jurisdiction and ownership of the launching state in perpetuity. Consequently, capturing or de-orbiting a defunct satellite belonging to another sovereign nation without explicit authorization constitutes a violation of national sovereignty, regardless of the hazard it poses to shared orbital infrastructure. Furthermore, the absence of a binding global framework to define financial liability for orbital pollution disincentivizes private megaconstellation operators from internalizing the environmental costs of their launches. Therefore, safeguarding the extraterrestrial commons requires not merely technological innovation, but an immediate overhaul of international legal mechanisms to align state sovereignty with collective orbital stewardship.
Which of the following statements best expresses the central theme of the passage?
- Technological innovations in active debris removal must be accompanied by comprehensive international legal reforms to ensure long-term orbital sustainability.Cevap
- BThe escalating threat of the Kessler syndrome can be eliminated primarily by mandating drag-augmentation sails on all newly launched commercial satellites.
- CPrivate megaconstellation operators bear the exclusive ethical and financial responsibility for cleaning up space debris in Low Earth Orbit.
- DThe Outer Space Treaty of 1967 should be immediately dissolved because national sovereignty is fundamentally incompatible with space exploration.