Speaker
Description
The space sector is a new area of development for Life Cycle Assessment studies. Considering guidelines for the evaluation of environmental impacts of space activities, several actors of or related to the European space industry, such as ArianeGroup and the European Space Agency, have identified Life Cycle Assessment (according to ISO14040/44) as the most appropriate methodology to measure and minimise their environmental impact. To demonstrate the value of life cycle thinking at complete space mission level and more particularly during the design stage, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study of Ariane 6 in exploitation phase is currently performed by the Design for Environment team of ArianeGroup.
Current LCA studies adopt a Cradle-to-Launch pad approach due to lack of modeling for use and disposal phase. Therefore, to cover End-of-Life (EoL) aspects, a priority has been given by the ArianeGroup to the integration of space debris into the LCA framework. LCA studies of space missions should indicate trade-offs not only between typical impact categories, e.g. toxicity and climate change but also with regard to the potential impact of space debris on the orbital environment as a particular challenge for the sustainable use of the orbital resource.
Given this context, a specific LCA indicator is currently being developed and will be discussed against work previously proposed and published by Space debris experts. This indicator called orbital scarcity is fully in compliance with the LCA framework and particularly the ISO standard (14040/44). The presentation will highlight the relevance of considering on-orbit stages of space systems in LCA as a way of measuring the resource security for orbits.
A case study will be presented to demonstrate the applicability of such methodology. The assessment of the potential trade-off occurring in term of environmental impacts on both the Earth and orbital environment will be discussed, comparing several Post-Mission Disposa (PMD) scenarios. Active and Passive deorbiting options that occur during this stage should be discussed through the prism of LCA environmental evaluation.
In this way, ArianeGroup and its partners are committed to the big challenge for the European space industry: keeping a competitive advantage for Europe while decreasing the environmental footprint on Earth and Space.
