Dr. Klinkrad at ESA is now leading an international space commission that is assessing debris-removal possibilities.

WSJ: A Cosmic Question: How to Get Rid Of All That Orbiting Space Junk?

Rumsfeld was joined by members of the congressionally-mandated Space Commission that he headed until December, when he stepped down because of his nomination to be defense secretary.

CNN: Rumsfeld orders military space programs consolidated

That has come down from roughly 40m euros per spacecraft when they were first engaged to do the job by the European Commission and the European Space Agency.

BBC: Satellites have an electric future