A revolution is afoot in space. As the use of satellites transforms from a national and military-led enterprise to one dominated by businesses, governments worldwide are playing catch-up with the rules and regulations that apply. It’s now possible for a private enterprise with headquarters in the United States to launch Argentine satellites from New Zealand’s soil.

The gaps in international regulations and coordination became clear recently when a California-based start-up, Swarm Technologies, launched four tiny satellites called SpaceBees on an Indian rocket, over the objection of the Federal Communications Commission. Among other things, the F.C.C. is responsible for making sure satellites are trackable by the government’s Space Surveillance Network to minimize the chance of collisions. The SpaceBees were so small (about 4 inches by 4 inches by 1 inch) that the network could not regularly track them, though a private tracking service, LeoLabs, says it has been tracking them since the launch.

Several new space start-ups are planning enormous “mega-constellations” of hundreds or even thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit (about 100 miles to 1,250 miles in altitude) in the next decade, and these too will challenge the regulatory framework. Only about a thousand or so operational satellites are in that region now, so the mega-constellation trend portends an increase of more than tenfold in active satellites in low Earth orbit, all within a matter of years.

How much distance should separate these various constellations so that any collision in one doesn’t create havoc for those in higher or lower orbits? Currently, orbital slots in low Earth orbit are not assigned — you launch to wherever you like — but this laissez-faire attitude may soon need revisiting.