Description
embedding environmental sustainability within space mission design
This session will present the work conducted by Deloitte for ESA regarding the requirements of the disclosure
of non-financial data for the launcher industry.
The presentation will begin with the definition of the key concepts of the disclosure of environmental
information. Then, Deloitte will present the analysis of the environmental-related information disclosure
aspects of Directive...
The “LCA Ground Segment” project (ESA Contract No. 4000123991/18/NL/GLC/as) aimed to assess the environmental performances and the applicability of eco-design principles to Ground Segment through the elaboration of a specific methodology, the involvement of ground segment experts and the in-depth evaluation of the most promising options.
The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a standardized...
This session will present the methodology and the results of the Life Cycle Assessments conducted on two
ground stations of the ESTRACK network: Kiruna (antenna KIR-1) and Cebreros.
Due to the high complexity of the systems, the project team developed a specific methodology for this LCA,
which will be summarized during the presentation. Indeed, a significant challenge lied in the fact that...
Atmospheric Re-entry Assessment is an ESA study dedicated to the investigation of the potential impacts on the atmosphere and on climate, caused by gases and particles released during the re-entry of spacecrafts and rocket upper stages. The activity had been carried out by combining very diverse heritages and capabilities, such as re-entry analyses, by-products evaluations and different types...
In the context of the Eco-design/Clean Space initiative, ESA has been developing tools to quantify the environmental impacts of the space industry. It has adopted a standard approach, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), which evaluates inputs, outputs, and potential environmental impacts throughout the entire life cycle of products. LCA can deal successfully with most phases of space activities (R&D,...
Over the last few years, ESA has established a life cycle assessment (LCA) database and collected data from use of this database in several contracts. Recently, efforts were made to integrate all datasets into one harmonized database for materials, manufacturing processes, system components, propellants and support functions, with the intention to support ecodesign. In this presentation we...
Due to its uniqueness, the space sector needs more specific methodology definitions besides the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards on LCA, in order to apply LCA studies to space applications. Therefore, to enhance and strengthen the LCA approach in space industry, ESA developed a new methodological LCA framework, taking into consideration the specificities of space sector. Additionally, a...
ArianeWorks, an innovation platform initiated by CNES and ArianeGroup, is currently developing Themis, a demonstrator of a low cost and reusable rocket stage paving the way for the 2030 European launch fleet. In consistency with an eco-design vision shared with its partners, ArianeWorks wants Themis to be a pathfinder for eco-friendly rocketry. In this regard, an ongoing internship aims at...
In 2016, ESA published the first worldwide guidelines on how to perform Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of space
systems. This first publication of the guidelines was based on previous ESA LCA studies and on the European
guidelines at the time. Since then, ESA and different European stakeholders have had the opportunity to use
the Handbook on different ESA projects and technologies. In order to...
Germanium is the semiconductor of choice for the production of high-efficient multi-junction space solar cells. Solar cells technology is, by nature, a large surface area semiconductor application and therefore Germanium is the most important semiconductor material, in weight, of all Space missions. Ge has been identified as one of the important environmental hotspots of space missions. This...
Germanium is a high-value material of limited availability and with a high CO2-footprint. Today, solar cells with the highest efficiency are produced on germanium substrates. For space applications, only high efficiency photovoltaic modules are used due to the restrictions in weight. Therefore, the consumption of germanium has to be reduced and the waste produced during the manufacturing of...
The Green-eSpace activity aims at providing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of improvements in space electronics technology, design, manufacturing and verification & validation (V&V), that reduce the environmental impact of the different levels of electronics used in any type of spacecraft. This presentation will provide an overview of the ongoing and planned work to bring green electronics for...
Polyurethanes (PUs) are versatile materials applicable across many industries for their excellent resilience and applicability in different forms: flexible and rigid; monolith and foam. In space industry they find utilization for instance in spacecraft as coating and potting materials for protection of electronic compounds, and further in launchers as rigid foams for thermal insulation of...
European Space Agency (ESA) has previously established life cycle data for life stages up to launch. In this work we extend the previous ESA LCA data and present complete life cycle assessment of several current propellants, including propellant chemical production, loading and launch stage emissions with impacts to climate change and ozone depletion. CEARUN was used to estimate launch stage...
While designing satellites, trade-offs are often made between different architectures, designs, materials,...
In most cases, these trade-offs do not consider the environmental performance of the various alternatives.
In the frame of this study, AirbusDS chose to focus on 2 alternative materials being used for optical payload structural parts: SiC and AlSi. The objective was to evaluate the...
