It’s been 20 years since the last big round of satellite bankruptcies. With Intelsat, OneWeb, Speedcast, and Global Eagle filing for bankruptcy, and several others teetering, 2020 will be known as the new year of reckoning for many satellite companies.

Just as governments closely scrutinize medical vaccines before approving them to mitigate the risks of broad harm, they must also carefully scrutinize strategies to mitigate orbital debris risk from the upcoming increase in launch activity, particularly in LEO.