The danger isn't to any single satellite or mission, the danger is to future human space flight [1]. We have existing systems for handling liability and financi

The danger isn't to any single satellite or mission, the danger is to future human space flight [1]. We have existing systems for handling liability and financial compensation for accidents in space but we don't realistically have a way to clean up our trash in orbit, especially in a cascading scenario. We have little data on how big the debris is from colliding satellites and how it spreads so for all we know, when any disaster happens, it could be seeding LEO with small particles capable of shredding other satellites and we just haven't launched enough to run into them yet. If Kessler was right and there is a point of no return, a single such accident could shut humanity out from spaceflight for decades or centuries. Not that I think we're anywhere near that point, but it's important to realize why these regulations are important and why they must never be ignored. Down the line, someone's decision to rush a mission due to market/shareholder pressure could rob many generations of their final frontier. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome