Speaker
Description
More and more space objects are launched into space, thus space debris is increasingly growing. Space traffic management is an urgent need recognized by all major space-faring nations. Through the forums already in place such as the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) agreements and efforts have been concluded as illustrated by the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines (2010), or the Guidelines on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (2018). However, as of today, no architecture has been put in place for a more comprehensive approach to safety in space traffic management.
Europe needs to act, as soon as possible to find a forum for creating space traffic management guidelines and operational safety standards. This should be done through multidisciplinary, international cooperation of lawyers, policymakers, and engineers to build the model of cooperation and design an efficient system. For instance, in Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE), a core component is reusing the knowledge from previous experience. This can also be applied to the international cooperation model and laws in the space domain. Lessons can be learned from the aviation sector, similar in terms of recent developments, risks mitigation, and international cooperation. Although aviation and space have some differences, they both have an absolute priority: safety.
This project aims at benchmarking the aviation safety standards such as standardization through IATA airlines cooperation or ICAO standards, to draw parallels and find a similar model for the space sector. Adapting the model in the aviation sector of having a European entity monitoring space traffic such as EUROCONTROL could be a start to establish effective space safety and traffic management in Europe. For example, ideas could be taken from the models of the technical annexes of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), with Annex 19 on Safety Management, or the system of certification globalized through ICAO and in Europe European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Developing standards and norms, driven by the industry, similar to those applicable for aircraft, with the objective of spacecraft operation and space debris would enable a holistic approach to space traffic management
