From a commercial point of view, space junk is simply a cost of doing business in orbit. Roughly half of all satellites in space are no longer in service. But in the realm of orbital business externalities, the polluters themselves currently have no incentive to take out their trash. Instead, overcrowding has become a secondary business opportunity: the race is now on to manage the worsening mess of satellite traffic through collision avoidance and debris disposal services. Synthesizing new markets quite literally through creative destruction may be a tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit. But prevailing business practices are a clear and present danger to the sustainability of critical, limited orbital resources. They’re also a bridge too far for spanning the digital divide.

William Fisher is Managing Partner at Collegia Capital LLC, which advises companies in the technology, media, and telecoms sectors. His commentary has appeared in Foreign Policy, The Nation, and The Wall Street Journal.

Image: Reuters.