NASA is planning to integrate all its activities on the study and monitoring of space debris into a centralised organisation that will include the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Orbital Debris Programme office in Houston. The organisation will include other "interested parties", such as the aerospace companies which develop upper stages that have contributed to an increase in orbital debris. The JSC office has been concerned about its long-term future and funding for some time. NASA believes that the debris work, which costs $3 million a year, should also be funded by those who benefit from it in the space industry, such as commercial satellite companies, and those creating the most debris - launcher companies.
Source: Flight International
