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Stewardship of space as shared environment and heritage

Low Earth orbits are increasingly congested, impacting astronomical observations and dark skies. Globally coordinated regulatory policies and mitigation strategies are among urgent next steps to protect this shared environment and intangible heritage.

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Correspondence to Aparna Venkatesan.

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The author is an unpaid member and co-Chair of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Committee on Light Pollution, Radio Interference and Space Debris, whose scope of concern includes the topics covered here. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the positions of the AAS or of the University of San Francisco.

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Venkatesan, A. Stewardship of space as shared environment and heritage. Nat Astron 7, 236 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-01915-z

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