ESA strives for being the role model for a modern global space agency fully committed to improve the sustainability and social responsibility of space activities by:
Increasing the contribution of its projects to the sustainable development of society (Agenda 2025: “(…) ensure that ESA and European space programmes can support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the European...
In the course of implementation of the Green Deal, the EU's regulatory framework expanded significantly. RoHS directive, REACH and CLP regulations are undergoing revision process addressing EUs Chemical's Strategy for Sustainability, while new initiatives such as Sustainable Product Initiative (SPI) and relevant delegated acts adressing European Circular Economy Plan are piling up. This...
A comprehensive overview of Thales Alenia Space's (TAS) initiatives in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and EcoDesign for large space missions is provided. Large space missions present unique challenges and opportunities in terms of environmental impact and sustainability assessment, due to their complexity in terms of Product Tree and Organization Breakdown structure as well as largeness of the...
VITO has performed LCA studies for space missions over consecutive phases of development (from A, B1, B2 over C/D). The CO2M mission is one example where we started assessing the environmental impact already during the early stages of development and continuously update the environmental profiles in different iterations to improve the quality of the results and conclusions.
This...
Airbus DS will share its the experience as prime leading LCA studies of the space segment for ESA missions, under different contexts. In particular, prime data collection compilation process will be presented, together with the equipment suppliers data collection strategy and LCA modelling philosophy of different ongoing projects (CRISTAL, LSTM, G2G, FORUM). An overview of the challenges faced...
This presentation relates to the activities of the ESA LCA Database project as part of ESA Clean Space Initiative. The main purpose of the project is to build, consolidate and maintain a fully operational and up-to-date environmental LCA database and provide support services to the ESA LCA Database end-users. The presentation will focus on the main development in the project activities in the...
With a continuously growing number of satellites in orbit, it becomes increasingly important to assess their impacts on the Earth's environment in a standardised manner. While interest in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for space missions has gained in strength in the past few years - particularly in Europe - no consensus has yet been reached on a single-score LCA system. In parallel however,...
Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) are becoming an essential tool within the space transportation sector. These can support policy makers and designers in understanding the ecological footprint by quantifying environmental impacts, identifying hotspots throughout all phases in the launch mission, and designing environmentally sustainable systems though eco-design. Nevertheless, significant...
This presentation covers the first results of a study on the atmospheric effects of re-entering satellites in the mesosphere (40 – 100 km). Currently, the disposal method of choice for most LEO satellites is an atmospheric re-entry. However, in recent years a number of concerns have been raised about the amount of man-made material projected to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere in the coming...
As many other actors in the sector, Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) is facing increasing internal and external requests for environmental evaluations and improvements of products in terms of sustainability. The needs are diverse, ranging from fast alternative assessments to external declarations. The resources, methods & tools to reply to these needs can be as various as the needs...
The maturation and maturity assessment of new technologies is essential for the success of new projects and programs. In some cases such processes require multi-years planning and significant investments before those technologies can be embedded in products for the benefit of our customers. It is therefore necessary to timely implement criteria for the assessment and the performance monitoring...
As opposed to performance, cost, safety, and programmatic metrics, impacts on Earth or on the space environment have not been drivers of space systems and missions designs until recently. This is changing thanks to a shift of mindset, growing risk related to space debris, and a need to anticipate regulations that are likely to be applied to the space industry.
The new Assessment and...
In the research field of novel monopropellants, there is a strong emphasis on the toxicity of hydrazine and the required non-toxic nature of the potential replacements for this widely used monopropellant. Novel monopropellants are often praised for their handling procedures which are less strict, costly and wasteful compared to hydrazine. However, while the sustainability improvements in this...
State-of-the-art satellite chemical propulsion systems are based on conventional toxic propellants such as Hydrazine or its derivatives, which are environmentally harmful and therefore very extensive in handling.
Although, harmless to the environment, cold gas thrusters cannot reach the performance of chemical combustion technology, requiring big and high pressure gas tanks.
Electric...
Compared to Conventional Manufacturing (CM), Additive Manufacturing (AM) can enable the production of complex and optimized shapes while reducing the manufacturing cycle. For this reason, it is increasingly used to manufacture parts of rocket engines. AM is often presented as being able to be more economical in raw material and is seen as a “clean” process, without it having been fully...
Together with Ariane 6 & P120C major industrialists, ESA identified a set of improvements with relevant cost assessment.
The principal purpose of the activities is to reduce the costs required to manufacture Ariane 6 and furthermore to increase sustainability. In the longer term, ESA’s contribution to, and management of, the Process Improvement activities are of the utmost importance so as...
Space travel is at a turning point in its history. In 2022, more space objects were launched into space than ever before. The announced number of satellites for constellations will require an unprecedented transport capacity. At the same time, humanity is faced with the challenge of converting its activities to sustainable operations. Against this background, the question arises as to how...
MaiaSpace is a European space tech company, designing, manufacturing and operating more sustainable space transportation solutions. It is driven by the belief that space stands as a major enabler for a better and more sustainable life on Earth, contributing to future challenges mankind is facing: climate change, resources run out, digital divide, data collection. Its first and primary focus is...
To make the space sector the leading sector for sustainability, one that is ‘near zero by design’, it must ensure every space company has a regularly-updated quantification of their environmental impact and a roadmap to improve it.
To achieve this, data gathering and analysis must:
- Be user-centred in their alignment with existing working practices
- Integrate with available...
