Is anyone actually responsible for cleaning up orbital debris?

No single agency or country holds that responsibility today. Oversight is split across multiple US agencies with different mandates, and there is no binding international requirement forcing operators to pay for the debris their satellites eventually create.

Does the WEF's cost estimate include the risk of a major collision cascade?

No. The 25.8 to 42.3 billion dollar range explicitly assumes a business-as-usual scenario without a major cascading collision event, so it likely understates the true tail risk rather than overstating it [PROJECTED].

science · 2018 to 2026

Orbit's Open Commons

No one owns low Earth orbit, and no single agency governs it either. A shared resource that nobody prices is exactly the kind that gets used up faster than anyone intends.

Facts verified as of July 2026.

Orbital congestion has worsened sharply. The CRASH Clock, short for Collision Realization and Significant Harm, estimates how long it would take before a catastrophic collision if satellite operators suddenly lost maneuvering capability. It stood at 5.5 days on June 25, 2025 and had fallen to 2.5 days by May 4, 2026, showing a further tightening of orbital safety margins [VERIFIED].

The World Economic Forum, working with the Centre for Space Futures, published the first data-driven forecast quantifying the economic cost in its 2026 report, Clear Orbit, Secure Future. It projects that orbital debris could generate 25.8 billion to 42.3 billion dollars in cumulative losses between 2025 and 2035 under a business-as-usual scenario, assuming no major cascading collision event [PROJECTED].

Play the same structure: The Shared Orbit.

Sources

[VERIFIED] The CRASH Clock fell from 5.5 days on June 25, 2025 to 2.5 days on May 4, 2026, indicating a further tightening of orbital safety margins. Outer Space Institute, CRASH Clock
[PROJECTED] The WEF's 2026 Clear Orbit, Secure Future report projects 25.8 billion to 42.3 billion dollars in cumulative orbital debris losses from 2025 to 2035, with a cost breakdown across service disruption, asset loss, and fuel costs. World Economic Forum, Clear Orbit, Secure Future: A Call to Action on Space Debris (2026)
[VERIFIED] US space traffic governance remains fragmented across DHS, Commerce, Defense, and NASA, and 2026 is expected to bring more active debris removal missions. Hoover Institution, New Hoover Report Calls for US Leadership in Space Traffic Coordination