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Description
Clean Space Days 2024: Towards a Sustainable Future in Space
Dear Colleagues, Dear Space enthusiasts,
We, ESA’s Clean Space team, are proud to invite you to join the 2024 Clean Space Days, which will take place from October 8th to 11th at ESTEC, in The Netherlands. This event is a must-attend gathering for all space professionals and enthusiasts dedicated to the sustainability of space mission.
This four-day event will focus on the advancements in the fields of eco-design, zero debris and in-orbit servicing. This year’s edition will also include a poster session, adding a new dimension besides the presentations!
Call for Abstracts
We invite you to submit abstracts on the following topics:
Ecodesign for space
- Life-Cycle assessment applied to space activities: tools, LCA applied to projects, simplified LCA and Ecodesign, methodology, atmospheric impact
- Greener technologies
Zero Debris including
- Design for Demise
- Technologies for Passivation
- Deorbiting technologies
- Design for Removal
- Dark and Quiet Skies
In-Orbit Servicing including
- Active Debris Removal
- Close Proximity Operations
- IOS missions
- Circular Economy for Space
Submit your abstract for the CSD2024 here: Submit your abstract. If your abstract is selected, you will be invited to give a presentation during the clean space days 2024 (no paper needed).
Please note the following deadlines:
14 July 2024: Abstract submission deadline- 24 August 2024: New abstract submission deadline!
- 9 September 2024: Announcement of the abstracts selected
- 22 September 2024: Registration deadline
- 8-11 October 2024: Presentations at CSD 2024
Side-events
- Clean Space Networking Dinner Date: Thursday, 10 October 2024 Location: ESTEC Restaurant Details: Connect with peers, forge new partnerships, and discuss the day's insights in a relaxed atmosphere.
- Key Note Talks & Social Networking Date: Wednesday, 9 October 2024 Location: ESTEC Details: Gain fresh perspectives on sustainable space missions, followed by an opportunity to network with speakers and attendees alike.
- Poster Session & Networking Event Date: Thursday, 10 October 2024 Location: ESTEC Details: Explore cutting-edge research and projects at our poster session. This interactive event is the perfect place to exchange ideas and spark collaborations over light refreshments.
Registration
Participation is free of charge. However, a registration is required. If you wish to attend the event, please register here: Register your Participation.
Don't miss this opportunity to contribute to the global effort for sustainable space activities. Register now for the Clean Space Days 2024 and join us at ESTEC for this exciting event!
Contact
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09:30
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11:00
EcoDesign: WITH INVITATION ONLY - CDF on Lessons Learned Eg121A (Main Building)
Eg121A
Main Building
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09:30
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11:00
Zero Debris: Design for Demise Highbay (Erasmus)
Highbay
Erasmus
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09:30
Demisability Research, Technologies, and a Way Forward to 2030 15m
In recent years, there has been an increased focus on the environmental impacts of all things in our daily lives. With a focus on the European industry: space exploration and space proliferation has been seeing a ramp-up to a more sustainable and more responsibly targeted set of guidelines and standards to facilitate this.
With many research and development activities underway that are aiming to achieve the Zero Debris targets set for LEO by 2030, there has been a noticeable increase of interest from within the industry to achieve the goals laid out by ESA. Controlling the levels of space debris has become a greater focus of both industry and institutions alike; especially given the volume of spacecraft expected to be launched in the foreseeable future.
Specifically, regarding Design for Demise, there have been a multitude of studies and projects that have been conducted in order to gain better understanding of re-entry processes and to assure that more spacecraft fragments demise during re-entry manoeuvres. Yet, substantial knowledge gaps on the demise and fragmentation processes of various components, units, and designs remain to be closed.
The objective of this discussion is to highlight some of the many research opportunities that don’t just benefit the European lead systems integrators (LSIs), but ideally that benefit all of the European industry at large, and to highlight some potential areas of collaboration for mutual benefit for all actors within the industry.
Speaker: Bradley Lockett (OHB) -
09:45
Design-for-demise research at DLR in the frame of the TEMIS-DERBIS project 15m
Ali Gülhana*, Thorn Schleutker a^, Patrik Seltnera, Pawel Goldyna, Niklas Wendela
a German Aerospace Center DLR
* Corresponding Author
^ Presenting AuthorAbstract
The German Arospace Center DLR, one of the world’s most renown research institutions in the aerospace field, is committed to making the economy and society sustainable. For this purpose, DLR researches technologies that lead to higher efficiencies and new and sustainable solutions in aviation, space, energy and transportation. DLR also acts as the German Space Agency, so there obviously is an interest in sustainable space flight reaching from the design and manufacturing of spacecraft and rockets, over space operations and to disposal of spacecraft at the end of their mission. This interest culminated a research project called TEMIS-DEBRIS (Technologien für Mitigation von Space Debris). In this presentation, we will give an overview of the project, the current status and the tasks planned for the upcoming years.
The project focuses on removal of spacecraft with an uncontrolled re-entry at the end of the process. For this purpose, technologies for efficient post-mission disposal compliant with the current 5-year rule are addressed in terms of passive and semi-passive solutions. As the uncontrolled entry flight comes at the cost of potentially having surviving debris fall down over inhabited areas, novel approaches for designing spacecraft for enhanced demisability are investigated. This includes various concepts for thermally trigged demisable joints, technologies that improve the demisability of materials and components and composites with inherent increased demisability. Furthermore, both experimental and numerical tools for the design and analysis of fully demisable satellites are driven forward to improve the simulation capabilities and understanding. Ultimately, the design of a demonstrator flight mission for fully demisable satellite is sketched in the project. The broad scope of the project is possible as different institutes from within the DLR joined forces using their exhaustive expertise, experience and experimental and numerical tools.
Speaker: Mr Thon Schleutker (German Aerospace Center) -
10:00
Composite degradation model for spacecraft oriented tool : ESA GSTP NEVADA Project 15m
Reducing the risk of casualties from debris uncontrolled re-entry is of major interest. It requires advancing the knowledge of space debris degradation during their re-entry and strengthening the predictive capabilities of the high-fidelity and spacecraft-oriented numerical tools and material response solvers.
To fulfill this target, various materials have been identified to be analyzed and characterized to provide insight into degradation and fragmentation processes and enrich the current ESA ESTIMATE database, namely Haynes 25, Steel AISI 304L, and CFRP.
Providing materials properties and tools able to model their atmospheric re-entry is capital since much debris found on the ground are made of these materials.
Given this background, the global objectives were four-fold:- Provide a database of experimental conditions and observables
- Develop or enhance the flow and material response codes and their coupling
- Predict the experimental measurements
- Derive accurate, cost-effective, and ready-to-use engineering models to support the manufacturing and design-for-demise of materials, andsystems used for launcher and satellites
The project starts with an extensive experimental campaign undertaken in four different facilities (CNRS-PROMES, ONERA, CORIA, and VKI) to measure, infer the bulk properties of the aforementioned materials and characterize with various diagnostics the key mechanisms governing their thermal response and demisability.
An explicit coupling strategy (called NEVADA C.T.) consisting of in-house RTech’s high-fidelity tool Mistral with material response solver PATO based on OpenFOAM is adopted to provide a cross-check verification code for spacecraft-oriented tool and to rebuild numerically the experiments in the VKI facilities. Material in-depth models developed at Coria are implemented in PATO to compute the degradation of metallic alloys and a dedicated high-fidelity composite model is implemented in the spacecraft-oriented PAMPERO tool developed by CNES in collaboration with RTech to improve the accuracy of the predictions.
The objectives of the current study were to advance the knowledge of space debris degradation during their re-entry and to strengthen the predictive capabilities of the high-fidelity and spacecraft-oriented numerical tools currently in use and rebuild numerically the data measured in high-enthalpy facilities and reactors operated at representative flight conditions.An extensive effort has been made to develop such tools/models in terms of accuracy and CPU optimization. The rebuilding activity allowed us to improve our tools, especially the new version v3 of PAMPERO shows good agreement with the experiments in terms of mass, recession rate, and front and back face temperature. NEVADA C.T. and PAMPERO show good agreements and PAMPERO allows a great speed up for thermal response computation (1-2 months computation for NEVADA C.T. against 1 day for PAMPERO), allowing to handle industrial cases. As a lack of material properties at really high temperature were identified (due to technical issues to measure such properties at high temperature), PAMPERO could be used as an optimizer in order to deduce reliable laws at high temperature.
The key results are presented below with a comparison of with a comparison of front face and back face temperature and the stage of degradation if applicable (for steel and CFRP)1 CFRP
The final results obtained for CFRP material are presented below. A front surface temperature mapping, qualitative and quantitative ablation comparison, and front/back temperature comparison with experiments are provided below. The simulation is in good agreement with the experimental data.The final goal, aiming to provide a code to reduce the uncertainties on the risk of casualties from uncontrolled re-entry was fully fulfilled during this activity.
The study shows that significant effort is still required to correctly characterize the thermal properties of composite (especially in a degraded state at high temperatures) and to take into account phenomena such as swelling and delamination.
Further effort will be made on these points to assess the full degradation process of industrial geometries.Speakers: Mr Eddy Constant (RTech Engineering), Eddy Constant (R.Tech) -
10:15
Demise behaviour of platform optics and electronics 15m
The re-entry of space systems into the Earth’s atmosphere can contain fragments which are able to survive the loads and heat experienced during re-entry into the atmosphere. These fragments have a probability to cause harm or damage to humans and the environment. The casualty risk is driven by the number and size of re-entering fragments. The objective of this activity is to enhance the knowledge on the demise of optical and electronic equipment of satellite platforms in order to establish validated re-entry models. For this purpose, equipment potentially causing re-entry risks, such as star trackers, battery modules and electronic equipment is analysed and investigated in on-ground demise tests in a representative environment.
To determine representative equipment used on LEO satellite platforms, frequently used products were reviewed. Based on this information, test samples consisting of critical parts of star trackers, batteries, and electronic boards were obtained. The tests were performed in two plasma wind tunnel test campaigns in the DLR L2K facility. During the first campaign, tests with a static set-up were performed. During the second campaign, tests with a rotational set-up were performed. The test results were applied to update the current re-entry models of the equipment and to improve their representativeness in re-entry simulations.
The star tracker tests showed that the basic material modelling of the star tracker is adequate, with the titanium material model performing well in comparison with the test data. Due to the titanium barrel, star trackers remain a potentially critical item. The battery tests consolidated the modelling of smaller single battery cells via a modified steel material model as the demise was again demonstrated to be driven by the behaviour of the outer steel cylinder enclosing the battery cells. The fragmentation of the battery was clearly shown to be driven by the failure of the GFRP top and bottom sheets, and that this fragmentation is enhanced by rotational motion. The tests suggest that a reasonably fast fragmentation of a battery module can be expected. However, the fragmentation is not instantaneous, and thus it is important that a GFRP layer should be included in the model. The re-entry simulations suggest that there is a limited risk from batteries using small cells.
The demise behaviour of the electronics cards is not easy to assess. The standard GFRP material is a very low demisability material, but its behaviour is complex. The tests demonstrate that the material becomes soft at relatively low temperatures, and can be bent and twisted by relatively low mechanical forces. If enough force is applied by e.g. attached masses, it is possible that the card may tear. However, if there is no sufficient force applied to the GFRP material, it is likely to change shape only. This suggests that electronics cards pose a ground risk, and evidence that the GFRP material breaks up would be required in order to suggest otherwise. The analysis has also shown that the previous proxy model is sufficient for use in DRAMA casualty risk assessments. Re-entry simulations suggests that the GFRP material will reach the ground from essentially all release altitudes, which is consistent with the findings from previous activities.
This activity consolidated the findings from previous activities on the demisability of batteries and electronics cards, and has also provided test support for the expected behaviour of star tracker internals. But the results of activity also show that further testing is needed to fully understand the re-entry behaviour of electronic equipment.Speaker: Bradley Lockett (OHB) -
10:30
Roadmap of DEBRISK V4: foreseen modeling and methodology improvements 15m
Atmospheric re-entry of debris could pose significant risks. Debris fragments that survive and reach the surface of the Earth can represent an impact risk to people and property. A number of existing guidelines and regulations in several countries fix the probability at 10-4 as the threshold for the maximum allowed re-entry casualty risk. The French Space Operation Act (FSOA) is specific in France and has been adapted in 2008.
The French Space Agency (CNES) is in charge of ensuring the right application of the technical regulation introduced in the FSOA, by evaluating the prospective risk on ground. In this context, CNES is developing its own certification tool, DEBRISK, since 2008. At the beginning of 2023, the qualification review of DEBRISK v3 took place and has been successful, considering that this version is at state-of-the-art (in terms of modelling and methodology). In consequence, DEBRISK v3 has been released on the website ConnectByCNES (https://www.connectbycnes.fr/en/debrisk) by July 20223, accompanied by an updated handbook.
DEBRISK version 4 is a new project accepted by CNES for the period 2024-2026. The objectives of this new version are in the continuity of DEBRISK v3: reduce the uncertainties of the tool’s physical models and propose a handbook as complete as possible. In the frame of this conference, the DEBRISK v4 roadmap will be presented, highlighting the activities / topics that will be addressed over the next 3 years.
Speaker: Julien ANNALORO (CNES)
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09:30
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11:00
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11:30
Coffee Break 30m
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11:30
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13:00
EcoDesign: WITH INVITATION ONLY - CDF on Lessons Learned Eg121A (Main Building)
Eg121A
Main Building
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11:30
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13:00
Zero Debris: Design for Demise Highbay (Erasmus)
Highbay
Erasmus
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11:30
A Thermomechanical Fragmentation Model for Destructive Re-entry Assesments 15m
Re-entry studies show that, for most spacecraft, the structure becomes hot before the forces become appreciable, resulting in a thermal model for fragmentation being adequate in many cases. However, for larger spacecraft, the higher mass being decelerated results in significantly higher forces being put through the joints, and this suggests that a thermomechanical model is necessary to capture the fragmentation effects.
A thermomechanical fragmentation model has been designed for use in component-based destructive re-entry tools which is able to capture the forces at joint level. This is based on the construction of a component-joint network, and requires a six-degree-of-freedom simulation tool in order to capture the rotational (centrifugal) effects and the direction of the forces in the joints. This model assumes rigid body motion of the spacecraft and determines the forces required to be passed through the joints in order to maintain the motion as many of the components are not subjected to the decelerative force from the atmosphere. The model has also been applied successfully in panel-based tools.
A matrix of joint-component connections is established, and the unknown joint forces are calculated using the matrix and the known aerodynamic and rotational forces on the components. The model allows for an arbitrary network of joints linking the components, which produces a singular matrix of joint-component connections. This is solved using a Singular Value Decomposition algorithm. A similar approach is used to calculate the moments.
A number of thresholds for fragmentation have been implemented, including tables of force/moment against temperature and a time delay to account for reaction rates. To make full use of the model good threshold values for fragmentation for a range of connection types are required.
Speaker: James Beck (Belstead Research Ltd) -
11:45
Re-Entry Survival Analysis Using The CNES Re-Entry Tools 15m
Due to the multiplication of private actors in the space adventure, France has adopted in 2008 the French Space Operation Act (FSOA), which established a national regime of authorization and supervision for space activities. The Technical Regulations have clearly addressed the concepts of safety and sustainability of space activities, including the safety of people and property. Within this framework, CNES, the French Space Agency, is in charge of ensuring compliance with the Technical Regulations associated with the FSOA.
To be able to predict the debris survivability of a space vehicle and its associated fragments during their atmospheric re-entry, CNES in collaboration with R.Tech, develops its re-entry tool with different levels of fidelity, named DEBRISK [1] (certification tool), PAMPERO (spacecraft-oriented tool) [2] and BLIZZARD (Inviscid CFD code) [3].
The work presented here aims to apply these codes to the so-called Delta-II Second Stage re-entry, which occurred on January 22, 1997, and which has been used as a reference case to compare re-entry tool predictions [4, 5].
Trajectories and ground impact locations from initial data are reconstructed, and sensitivity analysis are realized in order to deduce the most probable re-entry scenario. In addition, the estimation of the aerothermodynamics load and the fragmentation/ablation process are analysed. This work's main goal is to validate our re-entry risk verification tools and procedures.[1] DEBRISK v3: CNES tool evolutions for re-entry risk analysis. Omaly, P., and J. Annaloro. 10th IAASS Conference. 2019.
[2] Van Hauwaert, P, et Al., Pampero v3, a spacecraft-oriented reentry analysis code, 2nd International Conference on Flight Vehicles, Aerothermodynamics and Re-entry Missions & Engineering (FAR), 19 - 23 June 2022. Heilbronn, Germany.
[3] MIDANI, I, et Al., DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH-FIDELITY SPACECRAFT-ORIENTED TOOL, 2nd International Conference on Flight Vehicles, Aerothermodynamics and Re-entry Missions & Engineering (FAR), 19 - 23 June 2022. Heilbronn, Germany.
[4] Analysis of reentered debris and implication for survivability modeling. William Ailor et al. Proceedings of the 4th European Conference on Space Debris, Darmstadt, Germany, 18-20 April 2005.
[5] Results of the IAASS re-entry analysis test campaign 2012. T. Lips et al. 6th IAASS International Space Safety Conference. May 21-23, 2013, Montreal, Canada.
Speaker: Dr Stephane Galera (CNES) -
12:00
A Simplified Balance Integral Approach for Destructive Re-entry Material Modelling 15m
Material demise behaviour is critical to the casualty risk posed from re-entering space debris. However, the modelling of material demise in destructive re-entry tools, no matter how geometrically complex, tends to be very basic. The majority of tools model all materials as ‘equivalent metals’, where the assumption is that the material demise behaviour can be adequately captured using a melting point and a latent heat of fusion. This is clearly not the case for materials such as composites and glasses.
Some tools employ a 1D model for composite materials, based on the Charring Material Ablator (CMA) standard, but this can have a significant impact on runtime, and also requires specialist analysis to assess the pyrolysis and recession physics in order to build a suitable model.
In addition to these approaches, SAMj has employed a Heat Balance Integral (HBI) algorithm for some time. This reduces the one-dimensional heat conduction equation to a set of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) which can be integrated in time only. As such, this provides a 0D approach which can account for conduction and ablative processes with no measurable impact on runtime.
Over time, the HBI approach has shown some robustness issues, particularly in the cooling portion of the trajectory. Therefore, this approach has been simplified, which provides increased stability, but is also able to capture the necessary material behaviour for accurate demise simulation. It has been applied successfully to the capturing of test data for metal (aluminium, titanium), composite (CFRP, GFRP) and glass (fused silica, Zerodur) materials, and can be extended to other material types where necessary.
Speaker: James Beck (Belstead Research Ltd) -
12:15
Stochastic Assessment of Destructive Re-entry for LEO Spacecraft 15m
This thesis presents a stochastic assessment of destructive re-entry for Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) spacecraft, addressing the growing concern over space debris and uncontrolled re-entries. The study aims to improve the understanding of uncertainties in calculating ground risk, thereby ensuring compliance with Space Debris Mitigation (SDM) requirements.
One critical challenge addressed in this research is the lack of comprehensive studies on satellite re-entry, which leads to significant uncertainties often overlooked in verifying SDM requirements. Current guidelines do not fully account for variables such as atmospheric fluctuations, material degradation, and unpredictable re-entry trajectories. This gap raises concerns about whether satellites, assumed to be compliant, would still meet the requirements if these uncertainties were considered.
Monte Carlo simulations, using the pyDRAMA software extension, assess re-entry risks by modeling variations in initial conditions, material properties, and environmental factors, offering a deeper understanding of potential outcomes. This probabilistic approach informs the design of spacecraft components more likely to survive re-entry, such as reaction wheels, magnetorquers, tanks, batteries, and electronic units, reducing the threat to human life and property on the ground.
By incorporating stochastic methods, this research demonstrates how space systems can be designed to withstand unpredictable challenges, ultimately contributing to safer, more successful missions. It also emphasizes the need for further research to ensure compliance with SDM guidelines when uncertainties are fully accounted for.
Speaker: Edoardo Callegaro (ESA)
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11:30
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13:00
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14:00
Lunch Break 1h
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14:00
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15:30
General: Welcoming Highbay (Erasmus)
Highbay
Erasmus
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15:30
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16:00
Coffee Break 30m
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16:00
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17:30
EcoDesign: Introduction Auditorium (Erasmus)
Auditorium
Erasmus
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16:00
Ecodesign Introduction 20m
Ecodesign Introduction
Speaker: Sara Morales Serrano (ESA) -
16:20
ESA Synergy Between Corporate Vision and Technical Expertise: Achieving Sustainable Space Activities 20m
ESA is dedicated to being a leading role model in space sustainability, extending its commitment from Earth to Earth's orbit and beyond. The Agenda 2025 delineates clear objectives to enhance ESA projects’ sustainable development benefits while simultaneously minimising its environmental footprint. The ESA Green Agenda is the action plan supporting key initiatives to achieve these objectives on Earth, leveraging the extensive technical expertise of the Clean Space team, developed over more than a decade. This has created a synergistic relationship between the organisation's corporate strategy and project-level technical advancements.
Significant milestones have been achieved since the adoption of the Statement for a Responsible Space Sector in 2022, now endorsed by over 40 signatories. This includes working groups that foster industry collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the adoption of best practices. One of the working group focusses on LCA and ecodesign: participants were invited to join the taskforce supporting the revision of the ESA approach to LCA and ecodesign in future projects. Following the start of the Green Agenda implementation in 2023, energy efficiency projects have been successfully executed across the organisation’s facilities, and a comprehensive CSR code of conduct has been established for suppliers. A Sustainability Materiality tool has been developed and is now used to assess future space programmes’ benefits for our society. These efforts underline the organisation's commitment to sustainability, demonstrating tangible progress in reducing environmental impacts and promoting responsible practices within the space sector.
Speakers: Mr Andrea Vena (European Space Agency), Marie Le Pellec (European Space Agency), Marta Caterina Salieri Lopez -
16:40
Shape a sustainable future: engage with PEFCR for Space! 20m
The development of the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for space development has just begun. This initiative aims to create standardized environmental assessment guidelines for the space sector. As the process is in its early stages, there are valuable opportunities for stakeholders to get involved and contribute to shaping these rules, ensuring a sustainable future for space activities.
Speaker: Vera Pinto -
17:00
Evolution in Environmental Regulations - Update from ESA REACH Officer 20m
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 processes, addressing Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, while new initiatives such as Sustainable Product Initiative (SPI) and relevant delegated acts addressing European Circular Economy Plan are piling up.
The scope of this contribution is to highlight the impact of current and upcoming chemical regulatory amendments on the space industry, focusing on EU REACH but also on global legislative measures, such as POPs/Stockholm convention and others.
Special attention is dedicated Bisphenol A and its derivatives, per- and polyfluoro alkyl substances (PFAS, including fluoropolymers), D4, D5 and D6 cyclic siloxanes, and other chemicals essential for production of advanced polymeric materials relevant for many space applications. Coordination efforts in frame of Materials Processes Technology Board (MPTB) in relation to chemical legislation and obsolescence monitoring will be mentioned.Speaker: Premysl Janik (REACH Officer at European Space Agency)
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IOS: ADR and In-Space Transportation Preparation & Missions Dance Room (Escape)
Dance Room
Escape
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16:00
Astroscale's Active Debris Removal Services - A Review 20m
Since the beginning of the space era, the amount of debris generated in low Earth orbit (LEO) has been increasing. ESA statistics show there are an estimated 130 million objects classed as lethal non-trackable debris and more than 2,600 non-functioning satellites. Analysis has shown that stabilising the space debris population can only be achieved by maintaining high PMD (Post Mission Disposal) rates on future satellites, plus removing a set number of defunct satellites per year from orbit, termed Active Debris Removal (ADR). The presentation will focus on several of Astroscale's recent missions: ELSA-d, ELSA-M, ADRAS-J and COSMIC (UK ADR).
Astroscale has been progressing on it's ELSA-M mission with ESA and Eutelsat OneWeb for 6 years which will perform a multi-client removal for constellation satellites prepared with docking plates. In 2022 the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) committed to continue funding towards a mission to remove two defunct pieces of UK-owned debris with a multi-client removal servicer. Astroscale’s mission “COSMIC” is designed for uncooperative, unprepared satellite removal. A variant of Astroscale’s ELSA-M mission, COSMIC replaces ELSA-M’s magnetic capture system with a robotic arm used to grapple the launch adapter ring on the client. This presentation will review the status of COSMIC on its pathway towards CDR.
Finally, the ADRAS-J(1) mission has achieved incredible inspection in space for the first time for a large LEO asset undertaking a number of flybys of an H2A rocket body. The next stage of this is the removal of the asset by ADR in the mission called ADRAS-J(2). These missions will be discussed further in the presentation.
Speaker: Dr Jason Forshaw (Astroscale) -
16:20
ESA In Space Proof of Concepts (InSPoC) Overview 20m
ESA's vision towards a sustainable and competitive space transportation ecosystem relies on an optimised fleet of reusable launchers injecting payloads on Earth and Lunar parking orbits, combined with a "hub & spoke" space logistics network: with space tugs to reach the final orbits (e.g., for constellations phasing, exploration missions) and orbital infrastructures to support in-orbit servicing (e.g., orbital propellant depots). The In-Space Proof-of-Concept (InSPoC) missions initiated by ESA are a series of incremental In-Orbit Demonstrations (IODs) aiming at developing and demonstrating in space the required capabilities, building blocks and standardised interfaces to enable this European in-space transportation and logistics ecosystem (i.e. autonomous rendezvous and docking, in-space propellant refilling, on-board and shared intelligence in space, automated orbital transfer etc..). One of the objectives of these IODs is also to pave the way for ever more ambitious exploration missions, notably through in-space propellant (re)-filling of spacecrafts from strategically placed orbital propellant depots. The presentation will describe this incremental roadmap of IODs and the status of ongoing activities, notably providing an overview of the outcome of the InSPoC-1 Definition Phase on in-orbit rendezvous & docking.
Speaker: Eva-Marie Dupuy -
16:40
ClearSpace-1 In-Orbit Demonstration Mission 20m
The ClearSpace-1 mission, as one of the main activity area of the European Space Agency’s ADRIOS program, will develop a demonstration to rendezvous, capture, secure and deorbit another spacecraft. The client will be the ESA-owned PROBA-1 spacecraft, operating flawlessly meanwhile for more than 20 years. The mission is developed as an in-orbit demonstration mission funded by the European Space Agency.
The mission is the very first rendezvous and capture of an unprepared and uncooperative client satellite having no mechanical fixtures. The mission is incrementally demonstrating the key capabilities and functions required. It will demonstrate the GNC technologies required to approach an object to be removed from low Earth orbit into close proximity, inspect and characterize the space object to prepare its safe catching, demonstrate the capability of the servicer to avoid collision with the space object to be removed, demonstrate the safe capture of the space object with the servicer spacecraft in synchronized motion, and demonstrate the capability to relocate a space object.
The ClearSpace-1 servicer will use a claw-based caging system to embrace the client spacecraft and to capture it without physical contact before secure closure of the cage. This method allows to secure the client object independently of its attitude, and for a range of tumbling rates. Several sensors will be required to allow vision-based relative navigation and distance measurement before and during the approach to the client object. ClearSpace-1 will inspect PROBA-1 during fly-arounds to validate its visual-based navigation algorithms and functionality of the capture system, before rendezvousing with PROBA-1 and performing catching operations. Following catching, the servicer-client stack will need to be stabilized and secured. Finally, the servicer-client stack will lower its orbit and undergo uncontrolled re-entry within five years.
The presentation will give insight into the status of the project, its principal timeline and will explain the mission concept of operations.Speaker: Dr Christian Steimle (European Space Agency) -
17:00
CAT-IOD: CAT IN-ORBIT DEMONSTRATION MISSION FOR A PREPARED ACTIVE DEBRIS REMOVAL SCENARIO 20m
In the last years GMV, under ESA contracts and in collaboration with AVS, has been and is still, designing and developing multiple technologies for ADR. Among those MICE, Mechanical Interface for end-of-life CapturE, currently qualified and already on orbit carried by the AVS’s LUR-1 S/C, and CAT, Return Capture Payload Bay, whose bread board has been just tested and validated within the platform-art© robotic test facility at GMV’s premises, in Madrid.
In parallel to those, and others, key technological developments, and in line with the ESA strategy for zero-debris, GMV has been assessing, again under an ESA’s contract, the possibility to perform an IOD mission, CAT-IOD.
Objective of CAT-IOD is to demonstrate the active removal with CAT of a space debris carrying on-board MICE and a set of navigation aids devices. All those currently planned for the next generation of ESA/EU Copernicus satellites.The CAT-IOD Pre-phase A study aimed to perform a conceptual design of a mission towards the ADR of a small and prepared target satellite, the AVS LUR-1 into the specific. The study evaluated the technical feasibility, cost, and risks of the mission, as well as the scalability and representativeness of the proposed mission concept and key technologies towards larger scale missions like the mentioned new generation of COPERNICUS.
CAT-IOD Pre-phase A preliminary sized a servicer satellite, named DOG, to fulfil ADR mission objectives. DOG is targeting flying late 2027 / beginning 2028.
It intends to prove both cooperative and non-cooperative scenarios for a prepared target. Key element of the demonstration being the mentioned mechanical devices, the needed GNC and the corresponding operations.CAT-IOD Pre-phase A also served the purpose to identify potential needs on the client side and derive feasible inputs that could be implemented at the target side and/or ground segments for an efficient service.
The Pre-Phase A showed the feasibility of the mission within the intended target price, 50M€ industrial.Speaker: Manuel Prieto (GMV)
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Zero Debris: Zero Debris Framework Highbay (Erasmus)
Highbay
Erasmus
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16:00
RAMS AND FDIR METHODS IN SUPPORT TO SDMR 20m
In view of satellite technology advancements, a diverse array of satellites with varying objectives, from simple in-orbit demonstrations to complex missions, are being deployed in Earth's orbit. Recent decades have seen new space actors priorities cost, leading to advancements in equipment miniaturization and resource optimization. This trend, however, has contributed to an increase in orbital spacecraft, and not always with an end-of-life deorbiting plan in order to avoid creation of space debris. The European Space Agency defines space debris as non-functional, human-made objects in orbit or reentering the atmosphere. The growing number of defunct satellites poses a risk to current and future missions, prompting ESA's Zero Debris Policy and the ESA Space Debris Mitigation Requirements standard for cleaner space operations. This presentation outlines the necessary methods to demonstrate compliance with key SDMR requirements, mainly those related to RAMS and FDIR, such as the probabilities of successful disposal, passivation, accidental break-up, health monitoring, and collision due to on-board failures, as well as decision-making processes with regards to life extension or disposal.
Speaker: Ms Laura Miquel Parra (ESA) -
16:20
FAILURE PROGNOSTICS ON LARGE CONSTELLATIONS WITH SELECTED USE OF AI 20m
Failure prognostics has become more and more essential in the context of large constellations operations, where the complexity of the overall system and the service requirements pose several operational challenges. The possibility to detect early symptoms of incipient failures and predict the expected Remaining Useful Life reduces the need for urgent and critical operations and the risk of space debris. Leveraging expertise and high TRL solutions developed for space and other fields, SATE CLUE platform provides advanced customised model-based and AI-based solutions to enhance, support and automate ground operations tasks of large constellations operators, by providing Early fault detection and assessment of the constellation health status, Fault isolation and support to troubleshooting, Prognostics of the monitored satellites and subsystems. This presentation will describe the approach and results already achieved with the selected use of AI, aiming at fast configuration and validation for a large fleet of satellites.
Speaker: Chiara Brighenti (S.A.T.E. S.r.l.) -
16:40
Space Debris Mitigation Health Monitoring Compliance - Full Steam Ahead 20m
Compliance with ESA’s Space Debris Mitigation Health Monitoring requirements can be achieved with existing artificial intelligence and automation software. As the industry addresses the immediate challenges of requirements implementation, health monitoring industry partners should shift their collective focus toward developing common metrics, data-sharing protocols, and performance indicators that integrate health monitoring with broader AI technology development and in-space mobility frameworks. We explore the current state of health monitoring solutions and outline potential avenues for intermediate goals supporting a networked, interactive, in-space mobility ecosystem.
Speaker: Michael Hepler (Intella S.r.l.) -
17:00
Designing, developing and testing space debris mitigation and remediation capabilities through “bottom-up” technology innovation 20m
Orbital debris, coming in different sizes and orbits, amplifies the risks of orbital collisions with crewed and robotic spacecraft. Unexpected fragmentation events similar to the Resurs P break-up in highly populated low earth orbits threatens the EU space infrastructure.
There is a long-term need for green, interoperable and affordable space debris mitigation and remediation technologies. Very soon, satellite owners will be exposed to complex mission scenarios and high costs for space operations facing an increased technical, operational and market risks.
In order to understand, prepare and mitigate these risks for satellite owners, cross-cutting pro-active portfolio management can potentially contribute to risk mitigation.The space debris sustainability pillar part of the EIC space portfolio contains a number of “bottom-up” projects proposed by space SMEs, universities and research centers for debris mitigation and remediation. The objective of this paper is to present the sub-categories of space debris sustainability pillar and showcase synergies within the portfolio.
For example, companies planning to design and develop in-orbit-servicing vehicles, including innovative deorbiting, propulsion and capture technologies, may benefit from the advanced capabilities developed by other companies on space debris detection and recognition services. Through pro-active portfolio management, it will be possible to find solutions to address the growing complexity of space mission operations and, in the long-term, prepare new capabilities to mitigate the technology, operational and market risks.
[1] Disclaimer: The views expressed in this paper are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Innovation Council (EIC) and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). The Authors are not liable for any consequences stemming from the reuse of this publication
Speaker: Dr Stela Tkatchova (EISMEA)
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EcoDesign: LCA in Projects - Key Takeaways Auditorium (Erasmus)
Auditorium
Erasmus
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09:30
LCA studies at satellite level_CPX use cases (Airbus DS) 20m
Two LCA studies were conducted in parallel on two Copernicus missions with the aim of quantitatively assessing the recurrent environmental impacts of the CRISTAL and LSTM satellites, which has as Lead System Integrator (LSI) Airbus DS.
The functional unit (FU) of this study is the “The definition, manufacturing, integration, qualification, testing and preparation for launch of the Satellite space segment to fulfil its requirements”. The reference flow considered for the purpose of both studies was “one space segment”, that was expressed in two forms, namely at PFM and at FM2 level.
For the purpose of this study, primary data has been collected for the following elements: equipment, propellant and GSE composition, a number of manufacturing processes, testing sequences at equipment and satellite level, AIT and transport schedules, labour hours and travelling. For all the elements where primary or similar equipment data was not available, proxies have been used in line with the recommendations of ESA LCA Handbook. Dedicated LCI datasets have been created accordingly.
Environmental impacts and hotspots were identified by means of the EF3.0 methodology adapted by ESA. These LCIA results have shown that the environmental profile is dominated, for the PFM and FM2, by the AIT phase and staff travels.Speaker: Ariane Bouilly (AirbusDS) -
09:50
Exploitation of Data Availability to Perform Simplified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) 20m
In the space industry, performing a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as early as possible during Projects’ evolution is nowadays crucial for minimizing environmental impact and to define Ecodesign strategies. However, obtaining the necessary input data for the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) can be challenging due to delays or lack of feedback from the supply chain and subcontractors. This presentation outlines the mitigation approach implemented by Thales Alenia Space to overcome these challenges and efficiently gather LCI data even during early Programs’ phases..
Thales Alenia Space's method leverages the review of available data packages at various stages of program evolution, such as Equipment Qualification Status Review (EQSR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR), and others. By meticulously analyzing documentation released by subcontractors during these reviews, the extraction of critical information is performed, from Declared Material Lists (DML), Declared Process Lists (DPL), Assembly, Integration, and Test (AIT) Plans, Justification Files, Design Reports, Mass Budgets, Product Trees, Hardware Matrices, and more. These data are then used to populate the LCI Data Collection questionnaires through direct injection from documents and collaborative workshops with subcontractors.
The collected data are validated and optimized with the assistance of an LCA Consultancy Firm, ensuring accuracy and relevance. Simultaneously, significant efforts are directed towards identifying proxies and similarities among units, equipment, and subsystems across different missions that have undergone LCA. This allows for the scaling and reuse of datasets to the maximum extent possible, enhancing efficiency and reducing redundancy.
This process requires a profound understanding of the technologies and systems used in specific missions. Therefore, Thales Alenia Space's supervision is essential in guiding general LCA consultants through the intricacies of the space sector. Our approach not only streamlines the LCA process but also ensures comprehensive and accurate environmental assessments, contributing to the sustainability goals of the space industry.
This process can be further enhanced through the integration of LCA within Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, and investigations in this field are in the pipeline with sector excellence. The integration ensures that environmental data is seamlessly incorporated into PLM workflows, providing a "Single Source of Truth" for product information. This approach allows for real-time assessment of environmental impacts during the early design stages, improving decision-making and promoting sustainable product development.
The profound understanding of the technologies and systems used in specific missions, combined with the expertise in PLM and sustainability from external partners could ensure comprehensive and accurate environmental assessments. This contributes significantly to the sustainability goals of the space industry, by reducing environmental impacts and promoting eco-friendly design practices.Speaker: Marco Giuliani (Thales Alenia Space Italia S.p.A.) -
10:10
Outcomes of Life Cycle Assessment, second Iteration, applied to the Space Segment of CO2M mission 20m
An iterative Life Cycle Assessment has been performed in the frame of the Earth Observation mission CO2M with the aim of evaluating the environmental impact contributions of its Space Segment elements within the various mission phases, from B2 to E1. VITO and OHB teamed to provide a first iteration in 2022 (end of phase B2); now, with the project at the end of its phase C, a more consistent inventory has been collected and a deeper understanding of the processes and elementary flows at contractor and subcontractor levels has been achieved, leading to an improved second iteration, which has been finalized in the frame of CO2M Satellite Critical Design Review. Details on the used LCA methodology as well as insights of its impact assessment results will be given and data quality rating will be discussed. Ecodesign opportunities and recommendations for further improvement will be provided.
Speaker: Andrea Calio -
10:30
Lessons learned from LCA applied to previous ESA missions 20m
The European Space Agency's (ESA) experience with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in ESA projects has revealed environmental hotspots of space missions by phases of the lifecycle and for specific engineering processes such as manufacturing, office work, system and equipment testing, etc.
As LCA becomes a standard requirement for ESA missions, the expertise and data acquired enable the elaboration of lessons based on recurrent practices from both industry and ESA, continuing to drive improvements within this sector.
This presentation introduces a summary of the lessons learned, both technical and methodological, that emerged during internal ESA reviews and outlines the next steps to address these findings.
Moreover, a comparative analysis of some previous ESA missions’ hotspots is presented, providing further insights and revealing trends and differences in environmental impacts across various space segments.Speaker: Tommaso Turchetto (Politecnico di Torino)
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IOS: ADR and In-Space Transportation Preparation & Missions Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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09:30
e.Inspector: a 12U microsat to support future IOS mission by VIS-IR close imagìng Proba I debris 20m
e.Inspector, a GSTP smallsat mission, successfully closed its phase B in July 2024. The mission is developed by a consortium composed by Leonardo SpA, T4i, Leaf Space and led by Politecnico di Milano. The mission will flyaround with increasing proximity from 1km to 100m a debris, taking images in the visible and thermal bands to adequately reconstruct its status and test multispectral image based relative navigation. The IR bands is crucial to better exploit the on orbit time, complement the lack of infosand relax the illumination constraints the VIS imaging has. At the closest approach, more than 1 cm resolution is achievable with the two on board cameras, both already successfully flew in LEO. To comply with the new reentry regulations the updated baseline target is Proba I ESA satellite. Together with the first VIS_IR imaging for relative navigation, e.Inspector, 12U size, will embark the enhanced Regulus 50-I2, produced by T4i, as main thruster which gives the mission the needed flexibility to get to the debris orbit against the launcher's availability and release conditions.
During phase B, intensive experimental campaigns allowed securing both the technologies: from virtual modeling to processor and to hardware in the loop tests were performed consolidating the sw\hw chain of the thermal\visible image processing exploiting the GNC ASTRA Team facilities at PoliMi; characterisation and endurance tests started for the Regulus enhanced version at T4i labs.
The space segment is designed to be robust to any last minute target and launcher changes, in a properly large domain. e.Inspector wants contributing paving the way for Europe in exploiting smallsats to fruitfully support future regular IOS logistic of larger spacecraft.Speaker: Michelle Lavagna (Politecnico di Milano) -
09:50
InSPoC-1 demonstrator mission in the light of ADR and In-Space Transportation Preparations 20m
For a sustainable future in-space ecosystem space mobility must be increased and, in this concept, space transportation vehicles (ISTVs) present the core element. ISTVs would open the door to a variety of servicing opportunities, in which the overall accessibility of failed or retired satellites is increased. Replacement frequencies of spacecrafts are reduced by refuelling ISTVs, as well as services like repair or refurbishment of partially failed S/Cs, offer the possibility to use a satellite even after an incident. Highly valuable orbits could be cleaned if defunct satellites are reboosted, relocated or removed. Cargo resupply chains for exploration purposes or in-orbit manufacturing could bring space flywheel products. As we look into the future of humanities space age, sustainability is an imperative part of the ecosystem for longevity of our space endeavours. Considering space objects as assets sustainability would receive a value, thus becoming a part of the economy.
The In Space Proof-of-Concept 1 (InSPoC-1) is a first milestone in ESA’s Space Logistics roadmap, aiming at demonstrating key enabling in-orbit transport capability of automatic rendezvous and docking between two cooperative orbital systems, compatible with payload / cargo transport. As the demonstration shall cover multiple RVD scenarios it directly contributes to the standardization of RVD procedures, interfaces and guidelines for the greater good of the in-space logistics community. The enabling key capabilities include next to mechanical and electrical coupling interfaces and standardization, also communication interfaces for cooperative rendezvous and docking and standardization as well as autonomous rendezvous and docking GNC between cooperative vehicles and related standardization of operational protocols.
The InSPoC1 mission will be the first step in OHB's planned market entry into space logistics. Several capabilities for in-space logistics need to be achieved and demonstrated to enable the proposed transport services. This is not only crucial for active debris removal, re-use or refurbishment services, but also to establish spacecraft design features to enable their active removal after EoL. Such RVD demonstration are of utmost importance to de-risk the mission and decrease cost of inherent technologies, to eventually obtain unified RVD guidelines and standardized spacecraft interfaces.
Thus, PoC-1 is designed to perform the most relevant GNC core capabilities and technologies required in the in-space transportation ecosystem of the future, including:
• Phasing, Station Keeping at Hold Points, Rendezvous and docking on V-bar and R-bar, System Interconnection, Undocking and flyaway, Collision avoidance manoeuvre, Attitude control of the stack, Manoeuvre of the stack
By demonstrating the ISTV capabilities with a dedicated client spacecraft, the technical challenges of logistic services are met with confidence in future service applications. This enables the future spacecraft operators to approach uncontrolled space objects, remove them from valuable orbits and offers approaches for a more sustainable use of space. Especially servicing activities (e.g. refuelling, repairing, removing) can be conducted with more ease when standardized procedures are known to the community.Speaker: Ms Laura Schumacher (OHB System AG) -
10:10
Optimizing Multiclient In-Orbit Servicing: A Mission Analysis for Geosynchronous Satellite Refueling 20m
The benefits of In-Orbit Servicing are significantly enhanced by attending to multiple client satellites in a single mission, leading to increased cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency. By enabling a single servicer spacecraft to visit multiple clients during each mission, operational cadence is improved, and costs are distributed across multiple tasks.
This presentation demonstrates the optimization of servicing sequences and respective transfer trajectories for Multiclient In-Orbit Servicing. A toolchain has been developed to determine the optimal servicing-order with minimal deltaV-costs and the client-to-client transfers with minimal deltaV-costs, while respecting specified time constraints. The focus is on refueling services in (inclined) Geosynchronous Orbits (GSO).
The toolchain is designed for preliminary mission design and analysis, allowing rapid estimates of deltaV, fuel, time, and other key parameters, to service a specified number of client satellites within a defined timeframe. It accounts for time-variant client positions and allows for the use of either chemical or electric propulsion systems.
The presentation will also feature select findings identified by running the toolchain for various sample client sets.
This work further enhances the efficiency of multiclient servicing missions, improving the sustainability and profitability of IOS operations while mitigating space debris proliferation.Speaker: Philipp Grüning (IRS, University of Stuttgart) -
10:30
The Space Rider System key-role as European reusable IOS platform for a greener space 20m
The Space Rider System (SRS) is an affordable, independent, re-usable, uncrewed, end-to-end European transportation system for routine access to and return from Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Initially conceived to be mainly a commercial exploitation medium dedicated to host PLs and to perform in orbit experiments (with the capability to return them back to Earth), its concept can be extended to serve as a flexible In-Orbit Services (IOS) and Close-Proximity Operations (CPO) platform.
As stated above, commercial exploitation is one of the primary objectives of the SR program. To better assess commercial program potential, market and use-case applications analyses were performed in order to defining platform policies and guidelines for PL experiments but also highlighted a strong interest and demand for In-Orbit Services platforms in the following years.
The study reports SR baseline architecture with the aim to explore the current IOS/CPO capabilities and to identify potential evolutions and relative impacts at system-level. The SRS is natively designed to perform IOD/IOV of emerging technologies, and this also applies to the ones that, especially in Europe, are being developed for the IOS and CPO domains (e.g. inspection, debris management, in-space manufacturing, re-fuelling, robotics, etc).
Among these emerges the potential use as a means of implementing a lot of use-cases present in the clean space domain that the ESA intends to strongly pursue, with the aim of guaranteeing the sustainability of the space sector. Regarding this last aspect, the SRS program is open to receive proposal from PLs or technologies developing innovative solutions or pursuing TRL raising in this domain exploiting the unique characteristics of the SR Platform.
This study will describe the foreseen requirements, interfaces, procedures, and technologies to be adopted and the relative system architecture evolutions needed to support the tasks related to IOS/CPO activities. Part of these features and capabilities are currently present in the baseline SRS design to support its Maiden Flights needs (perform orbital manoeuvres and maintain specific attitudes for the release and potential retrieval of small satellites from/to its cargo-bay), others will be implemented in the near future or will be designed on-demand basis to support more complex tasks.
The study will also explore the complementary needs to fully support advanced IOS/CPO capabilities, making SR a fully cooperative and prepared platform. In this field the study will report the evaluated solutions which to eventually equip the vehicle (and their impact) to support relative navigation, closing and capture phases (docking / berthing operations). Many of these activities also requires a robotic arm to perform complex manipulating tasks, and in this domain, activities are ongoing to host a set of robotic arms demonstrators. The long-term vision can potentially include a SR configuration capable to perform a full set of IOS capabilities to support different mission profiles (e.g. ADR kit placement, inspection, etc.).
Finally, it is important to highlight that the SRS concept implement, by design, a first example of circular economy in space with the aim to minimize waste (only AOM will be destroyed at the end of the mission, if not potentially reused in orbit for other purposes) and maximize resource efficiency (the RM is designed to be re-flight up-to six times). Future evolutions, as described above, will finally realize the enabling capabilities to explore reusable and recyclable satellites concepts and space infrastructures.
Speakers: Raul Cafini (ESA), Mr Antonio Rinalducci (ESA), Mr Fabio Caramelli (ESA)
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Zero Debris: Collision Risk Management Highbay (Erasmus)
Highbay
Erasmus
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09:30
Operational implementation of Space Traffic Management services 15m
Space traffic has grown exponentially with new, innovative companies launching thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). The number of spacecrafts has grown from 800 in 2019 to 5000 in 2022 and has doubled in one year up to more than 10 000 active satellites in orbit in 2023. This exponential growth must not lead to a disaster and the ESA Zero Debris initiative liaise as a meaningful contribution towards space safety and sustainability.
As a key industrial player in that domain, LeoLabs has built the world’s largest commercially owned object catalog and advanced space operations platform for LEO. Over years, Leolabs has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing space safety and sustainability. We have a proven track record of delivering real-time conjunction alerts, orbital data, and operational insights throughout satellites’ mission life cycle. Nearly 70% of satellites rely on our platform and expertise to effectively plan, safely execute, and continuously monitor their operations.
This paper will present how Leolabs’ services and infrastructure actively contribute to global space traffic coordination. It will focus on our ability to follow high standards for Space Traffic Management and provide a data that is accurate, low-latency, continuous and ubiquitous. The paper will also highlight how Leolabs contributes to the progressive achievement of ESA’s Zero Debris Charter targets for 2030, in particular its capacity to grow with the rising space congestion expanding its radar network and enhancing space traffic management supporting technologies.Speaker: Sylvain Delattre (LEOLABS) -
09:45
Interoperability for satellite tracking aids: the Satellite Retroreflector Standards 15m
Increasing the accuracy and quantifying the uncertainty of space surveillance data is critical to minimising operator overheads and maximising the effectiveness of Collision Avoidance Maneuvers (CAMs). Tracking aids are a major part of this. Here, we present a new standard for required retroreflectivity for passive tracking aids to become interoperable with laser ranging stations in a transparent way. The Satellite Retroreflector Standards (SRS) highlight key metrics that maximise trackability and interoperability - such as optical cross-section by altitude, placement on the satellite and their role in satellite identification. Additionally, the impact of retroreflectors on reducing false positive rates in CAMs is presented. Overall, this work underscores the importance of retroreflectors in promoting safer and more reliable space operations.
Speaker: Dr Hira Virdee (Lumi Space) -
10:00
Rules of the Road applied to collision avoidance autonomy 15m
Since the dawn of the space exploration, the number of objects orbiting the Earth has exponentially grown. In the next decades, with the emergence of new actors and the commercial exploitation of the Space, a population in the order of several hundreds of thousands of satellites is foreseen, with circa 75% of them being active objects. In this scenario, manual on-ground decision-making processes are proving inadequate for ensuring timely and accurate responses to potential collision threats. The Space Traffic Management and increased on-board autonomy will become crucial to guarantee the in-orbit safety, mitigating the risk of collision between manoeuvrable satellites, the radiofrequency interference, or, more generally, coordinating the space activities from launch to mission disposal.
For effective Space Traffic Management, one foundational element is the Rules of the Road (RotR) in space. This presentation offers a technical perspective for different set of Rules of the Road, benchmarking them based on their success in resolving conjunctions between active objects, fairness and efficiency: High success rate in rules, capable of solving most of the typical conjunctions, is needed for enabling high automation in the decision-making process, thereby minimising the number of cases where individual bilateral discussions are needed; Fairness in rules is essential to gain acceptance from satellite operators; Efficient rules, which optimise the manoeuvres needed to reduce the conjunction risk, will lower the economic impact of Collision Avoidance Manoeuvres and contribute to a sustainable environment.
With respect to the on-board autonomy, GMV is developing on the last years several activities related to the collision assessment and avoidance autonomy, notably related to the ESA’s CREAM cornerstone in the Space Safety Programme, but also in activities enabling the technologies towards an increased on-board autonomy such as the OCAD and ACTIvA projects. In particular, the most advanced one of the activities, CREAM#3 has been devoted to the development of a coordination system allowing the data exchange between different actors, i.e. satellite operators, SSA providers, Catalogue Providers and STM authorities, with the ultimate goal of automating the decision-making process in a collision avoidance scenario. The platform counts on three levels process to resolve the scenario. The first and second level are sequential, the system initially passing through a filtering process applying the “Rules of the Road”. The rules are taking into account 5 major steps: Risk Level – checking that both satellites involved in the event are on ALERT; System Status – checking that both satellites involved in the event are functional; Bilateral Rules – checking if there are any bilateral agreements between the SatOps; CONOPS – checking if both satellites involved in the event are NOMINAL or performing a special manoeuvre; Resolution Deadline – checking that both satellites involved in the event have sufficient time to perform a CAM. In case the satellites are on the same level and no solution can be found, the second level is applied – Negotiation Process. This process is performed by using Multi-Agent System (MAS) algorithm for the computation of a performance index. Based on multiple parameters and weights as well as different negotiation strategies, the MAS agents negotiate finding the most efficient solution the specific case. The third level can be required at any point, the SatOps requesting a mediation process, where a STM Authority will have the final decision.Speaker: Ms Marian Ramos (GMV) -
10:15
Simulating Space Policy Implications on Collision Avoidance Decisions Using the Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology Framework 15m
With the increase of anthropogenic space objects, space traffic management is becoming more crucial to space sustainability. In line with ESA’s Zeros Debris approach, in-orbit collision avoidance (COLA) has become an integral part of almost every Low Earth Orbit mission. However, it is also important to consider in the maneuver decision the socio-economic impact of those satellites on applications on Earth. Thus, COLA-EVDT, a decision support system for in-orbit collision avoidance using the Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology (EVDT) framework, has been developed to address that topic. The EVDT framework, developed by the Space Enabled Research Group at MIT, captures environmental factors, human vulnerability, human decision making and data providing technologies to form a decision supporting system architecture framework. EVDT has already been used to address challenges such as mangrove conservation in Brazil and flood resilience in Indonesia. Moreover, COLA-EVDT represents the first application of EVDT in space. Currently, there is not enough quantitative studies on the implications of potential space policies, such as research on the number of maneuvers performed by each spacecraft owner/operator resulting from such policies. In this paper, improvements are brought to COLA-EVDT that aim to simulate scenarios with specific space policies, in order to understand their implications. More specifically, the scenario of having a policy that dictates a common probability of collision and time of maneuver threshold for maneuver decisions for all spacecraft owner/operators is assessed, and its influence on the resulting number of maneuvers is examined. The Vulnerability model is modified such as to have an ordinal ranking between the primary and secondary objects of a given conjunction. The ranking considers spacecraft hardware value and socio-economic impact. The paper explores how a decision on who maneuvers based on that ranking influences the maneuver frequency of each party as well as the sensitivity of that frequency with respect to the weighting of the socio-economic factors on the maneuver decision.
Speaker: Mr Jonathan Wei (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Space Enabled Research Group) -
10:30
Spacecraft Beacons: radiocommunication approaches towards interoperable autonomous self-identification and tracking 15m
The ongoing Smallsat (r)evolution related to strongly increasing numbers of launches, failures and reduced sizes, raises issues regarding the detection and identification of space objects for the overall Space Situational Awareness (SSA), future Space Traffic Management (STM) but also for the individual spacecraft operators themselves. This talk gives a brief overview describing the challenges as well as proposed tacking aids for spacecraft and debris, focusing on active radiocommunication solutions. Following a motivation for beacon transmitters, known approaches to date will be discussed. Furthermore, the presentation dives into the current work of the authors, highlighting the scope of the BEECON (Berlin Experimental and Educational Beacon) project by Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin). Those activities are not designated to specific technologies but currently based on open source technical approaches by the Libre Space Foundation (LSF), working towards the in-orbit verification of a spread spectrum identification and Doppler tracking solution called Satellite IDentification and LOCalization (SIDLOC). This collaborative work comprises the technical development, manufacturing, integration and in-orbit testing, using ride-shares on different missions. Finally, the work also includes the important path of regulatory and harmonization work towards future interoperable frequency bands and interfaces.
Speaker: Mr Sebastian Lange (Technische Universität Berlin)
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Coffee Break 30m
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EcoDesign: LCA in Projects Auditorium (Erasmus)
Auditorium
Erasmus
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11:30
Life Cycle Assessment and eco-design of terrestrial and satellite video distribution 20m
The development of the use of OTT (over-the-top) video services is illustrated by the exploitation of an impressive figure of 70% of the internet backbone bandwidth. Although there is room for eco-friendly improvement, as often users are provided with a unicast mode, a challenge remains on how to avoid congestion on distribution networks, thus requiring anticipating new investments and potentially new solutions.
Along with the rapid growth of OTT, the environmental impacts of digital services, and by extension video services, have become a major concern in our society. Searching for new ideas for more sustainable video distribution solutions is necessary to best accommodate the needs for more services taking the environmental impact into considerations.
This presentation will show an example of Phase A telecom study which included environmental evaluations of video distribution services.Speakers: Mrs Natacha WONNEBERGER, Romain Tison -
11:50
LCA studies at satellite level_G2S use case (Airbus DS) 20m
A LCA study was conducted with the aim of quantitatively assessing the recurrent environmental impacts of the Galileo Second Generation Satellites, in particular the batch 1 of this mission, which has as Lead System Integrator (LSI) Airbus DS.
The functional unit (FU) of this study is the “The definition, manufacturing, integration, qualification, testing and preparation for launch of the Galileo Second Generation Satellite Batch 1 space segment to fulfil its requirements”. The G2G constellation will include 30 S/C, out of which 6 are supplied by Airbus under the current contract. The reference flow considered for the purpose of this study was “one G2G space segment”, that was expressed in two forms, namely at PFM and at FM2 level.
For the purpose of this study, primary data has been collected for the following elements: equipment and propellant composition, a number of manufacturing processes, testing sequences at equipment and satellite level, AIT and transport schedules, labour hours and travelling. For a limited number of equipment, a similarity strategy was established between G2G equipment and the equipment integrating the design of the CRISTAL and LSTM space segments, in order to scale an appropriate LCI. For all the elements where primary or similar equipment data was not available, proxies have been used in line with the recommendations of ESA LCA Handbook. Dedicated LCI datasets have been created accordingly.
The LCIA results have shown that the environmental profile is dominated, both for the PFM and for the FM2, by the AIT phase, Equipment manufacturing phase and the Staff labour hours. Environmental hotspots were identified by means of the PEF EF3.0 methodology and lay mainly in the impact categories Resource use, fossil and Ecotoxicity, freshwater.
Eco-design improvement potentials have been proposed, as well as recommendations for methodology optimisation of LCA studies at space segment level.Speaker: Ariane Bouilly (AirbusDS) -
12:10
Eco-Design Principles for the Sustainable Development of Nyx Earth 20m
Space has captivated the human imagination for decades, fostering an environment of innovation and technological advancement. The exploration of these new space worlds has historically been done in an exclusive and often confrontational manner. Founded in 2021, it is the mission of The Exploration Company (TEC) to enable everyone to participate peacefully in the building of our human future. To realize this mission, we are developing Nyx – a reusable and in-orbit refillable spacecraft that can be launched from any heavy launcher in the world and can fly to any space station. Having built two capsules and sold six missions within three years, our team operates with an unprecedented speed and efficiency. We are operating out of Germany, France, and Italy, with offices in Houston and in MENA. Our mission is to build accessible, sustainable, and cooperative space worlds.
As the reach of human exploration extends further into space, there is a growing realization that this endeavor must be undertaken with a heightened awareness of its environmental impact and a commitment to sustainability. In response to an evolving global environmental consciousness and the enforcement of more stringent regulations, the space industry faces the necessity to integrate sustainable practices into its missions.
This research, conducted by The Exploration Company in the context of developing Nyx Earth, addresses the critical need for sustainable practices within the space industry. Nyx Earth is a modular spacecraft designed to perform a variety of functions, including independent in-orbit experimentation and cargo delivery to space stations, with future potential for human transport. In line with our mission statement above, the integration of eco-design principles into space systems has become an essential challenge and opportunity for us.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) emerges as a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the environmental impacts of space systems, offering a holistic view that spans the entire product life cycle. This approach not only anticipates future risks related to public and legislative pressures but also supports the inclusion of sustainability into the early stages of design, where 80% of the environmental impacts are determined. By leveraging LCA, TEC identified areas of opportunity for sustainability improvements and derived actionable eco-design principles applicable to Nyx as well as space projects in general. Despite the challenges posed by limited data and industry reluctance, this research underscores TEC’s commitment to advancing sustainable space exploration.
Key findings from the LCA reviews reveal the impact of early design decisions that are significantly influencing the sustainability of space systems. By adopting life cycle engineering within a concurrent engineering framework, one can substantially improve the environmental footprint of space missions, especially during their development phase. Main areas of impact include, but are not limited to, solar cells, harnesses, testing, surface treatment and launcher selection.Speaker: Nathalie Bergmann -
12:30
MaiaSpace: A review on the sustainability strategy in the development of a semi-reusable minilauncher 20m
MaiaSpace is a European space tech company designing, manufacturing and operating more sustainable space transportation solutions. Its ambition is to have the lowest environmental impact of the industry on the Earth and space, while being competitive. To achieve this, MaiaSpace has been evaluating the environmental impacts of its launch service through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model since day one.
MaiaSpace has developed a methodology to manage reusability within LCA and to estimate the impact of high-altitude emissions on climate change. The company is co-funding a PhD project which aims to better understand the amount of soot emitted during the launch phase. In addition, MaiaSpace investigates the alignment of its supplier's environmental policies with its own environmental engagements.
LCA model is continuously consolidated, with the objectives of improving data quality and reducing the use of proxies from databases. MaiaSpace approach includes environmental impacts at the same level as performance and cost. In addition, the company is committed to societal responsibility, notably by ensuring transparency to avoid greenwashing in our communications.
In this presentation, we will review our progress in eco-design, LCA, and general design trade-offs since the last Clean Space Industry Days.
Speaker: Antoinette Ott (MaiaSpace)
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11:30
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11:30
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13:00
IOS: IOS Preparation & Missions Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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11:30
The RISE Mission: Life Extension in GEO within the ADRIOS Programme 20m
The concept of a circular economy within the Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) environment is increasingly gaining traction, driven by the innovative new modular concepts coming out of the new space GEO platform manufacturers. This approach emphasizes sustainability and efficiency, maximizing the utility of resources already present in space and minimising waste, but practical applications are required to ensure its success past the institutional head start. D-Orbit is addressing this directly with its new platform, GEA, developed with ESA as part of the ADRIOS RISE mission launching in 2027/28.
Life extension of operational telecom spacecraft is the obvious first target and is already part of the in-orbit servicing market offering, but it only represents one piece of the puzzle. Platforms need to be compatible with sharing in-orbit fuel reserves, enhancing the longevity and functionality of existing satellites and saving on launch effort. Furthermore, the installation of new modules on already deployed platforms will facilitate capability extensions, restorations, and platform refurbishments. Another significant practical application is the extraction and reuse of functional modules from failing or expiring satellites, promoting resource conservation and cost reduction. The ability to swap payloads allows for the modernization and refurbishment of in-orbit spacecraft, ensuring they remain state-of-the-art without the need for complete replacements. And finally, the stacking of in-orbit capabilities can lead to the creation of high-power space hubs, enabling novel space missions.
Looking ahead, the potential applications of a circular economy in GEO are vast. These include space-based manufacturing facilities using in-situ resources to reduce reliance on Earth-supplied materials, and the creation of modular, reusable space habitats for sustainable human presence. This framework can also advance space logistics and infrastructure, supporting long-term missions and deep space exploration. Ultimately, adopting a circular economy in GEO with the versatile modular architectures promises to revolutionize the space industry by promoting sustainability, reducing costs, and enhancing efficiency.Speaker: Diego Garces de Marcilla (D-Orbit UK) -
11:50
Astroscale’s IOS Missions: Driving Towards a Sustainable Future 20m
Astroscale’s vision is the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations. Astroscale is well known for its emergent debris removal services including ELSA-d (one of the world’s first key demonstrations of magnetic capture and Rendezvous and Proximity Operations – RPO), ELSA-M (multi-client commercial end of life servicing platform) and UK ADR (planned mission to remove two UK-owned defunct satellites). However, Astroscale is also in-volved in many other business line developments for In-orbit Servicing (IOS), which is the focus of this presentation.
This presentation will highlight three of the upcoming domains in IOS which Astroscale is working on: satellite refuelling, satellite refurbishment (including upgrading), and GEO life extension services. The presentation will review Astroscale’s efforts in refuelling over the last few years, including involvement in the ESA IOS programme and leading a UK-funded refuelling feasibility study. Refurbishment and the ability to block-swap and upgrade satellites will be addressed. Finally, Astroscale will review its progress our Astroscale US GEO Life Extension service..
The presentation will provide a review of our activities, technical and commercial challenges, and how our planned roadmap of missions is evolving moving forward, towards a future circular economy.
Speaker: Dr Zaria Serfontein (Astroscale) -
12:10
Refuelling Design & Development Activities at Thales Alenia Space in the UK 20m
Thales Alenia Space in the UK (TASitUK) is playing a key role in the development of sustainable space missions systems in Europe through involvement in key IOS missions and studies focused on Propulsion.
TASitUK is contributing to multiple projects involving refuelling systems to understand the best system designs for propellant transfer between spacecraft including operational constraints, as well as determining key equipment developments and their driving requirements.A flagship project for refuelling is the design and development work on the Lunar View bipropellant transfer subsystem (BTS) which refuels the NASA Gateway Station’s propulsion system in the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) module. The subsystem is capable of delivering MON-3 and MMH bipropellant from the Lunar View tanks and transferring bipropellant delivery from a future tanker mission. A joint simulant test campaign designated ERM-1, has been successfully completed between NASA, TASitUK, TASF & ESA. This was a major goal in the de-risking of refuelling operations for the Lunar Gateway and test campaign follow-up, ERM-2, is in development. TASitUK developed an internal fluidic breadboarding capability with the relevant GSE and test hardware to support future refuelling system developments.
TASitUK is in parallel involved in the early phase definition of multiple IOS relevant studies, mainly focused around the refuelling system design. TASitUK is working as the refuelling & electric propulsion partner supporting the development of Astroscale UK COSMIC platform for the UKSA Active Debris Removal study. In the course of these studies, TASitUK has defining the refuelling & electric propulsion architecture, including the development of a simulant breadboard test campaign implementing the lessons learnt from the Lunar View ERM-1 test campaign further building TASitUK's fluidic test lab capability. TASitUK is also involved in two follow-on UKSA ADR Studies focusing on design of an active refuelling servicer to service with UK ADR mission.
TASitUK is also working with the TAS France Study focused on future LEO Zero Debris Platforms analysing the impact of the future ESA Zero Debris Guidelines on the Propulsion Subsystem for demisability, controlled re-entry & system resilience.
TASitUK supports conceptual technology development studies with various partners, including providing refuelling and propulsion expertise as well as investigating critical equipment in support of Refuelling & Zero Debris.
TASitUK is looking ahead to the widespread adaptation of Refuellable & Zero Debris Propulsion Subsystems, determining the requirements and drivers for future designs implementing measures to increase platform capability and support space sustainability.Speaker: Mr Remi Challamel (TAS UK) -
12:30
Orbit Fab Refuelling Interface and Service Mission Development Progress in Europe 20m
Refuelling is a crucial enabler for mitigating the space debris problem and promoting a more sustainable use of space. Orbit Fab is developing an orbital infrastructure designed to provide a ubiquitous supply of propellant for all in-orbit assets, both governmental and commercial, extending their lifespan and reducing the need for deorbit and replacement. This vision will end the single use paradigm for spacecraft and enable the next generation of missions based on extended lifetimes and unlimited flexibility for maneuvering and retasking of assets. The Orbit Fab shuttle and depot space architecture is designed to ensure the most economical and robust propellant logistics to all customers in orbit. Orbit Fab Limited (OFL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Orbit Fab Inc with the vision to independently leverage the UK and European space ecosystem to contribute to the global effort to make in space refuelling and the subsequent bustling space economy a reality. OFL is taking ownership of key service offerings to global refuelling customers, and is building refuelling mission concepts to support near-term ADR missions in LEO and beyond, with a focus on supporting space sustainability and developing technologies for refuelling electric and green propulsion systems. The OFL technological and service capability roadmap is presented as well as the current activities and recent milestones in the development of RAFTI and GRASP next generation refuelling interfaces, with key results and design concepts presented. The refuelling mission concepts in development in the UK are also presented.
Speaker: Sebastian Hill (Orbit Fab)
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11:30
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11:30
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13:00
Zero Debris: Platform Activities and Lessons Learned at EOL Highbay (Erasmus)
Highbay
Erasmus
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11:30
ESA Platform Activities 20m
In alignment with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Zero Debris Approach, a series of key initiatives are being launched to advance space sustainability. This presentation aims to highlight the core objectives of the Zero Debris Approach, focusing particularly on the current and upcoming activities at the platform level. These initiatives include the development of platform evolutions designed to implement the Zero Debris Policy for various spacecraft, spanning large Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, Satcom, small spacecraft, and CubeSat platforms. By enhancing debris mitigation and end-of-life disposal strategies, these efforts are crucial for preserving a sustainable orbital environment for future space operations. Future activities may also include studies on lunar missions, expanding the reach of this approach beyond Earth’s orbit. The presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of these developments and their expected contributions to long-term space sustainability.
Speakers: Roxane Josses (ESA), Sibyl-Anna de Courson (ESA) -
11:50
ISISPACE CubeSats on the road to Zero Debris by 2030 20m
With an increasing number of CubeSats in LEO, the need for sustainable practices for these spacecraft becomes increasingly critical. This presentation outlines part of our roadmap for transitioning CubeSats to zero debris by 2030, aligning with global space sustainability goals and minimizing disruptions to the CubeSat development mindset. A key focus will be a trade-off analysis performed to support the implementation of the five-year re-entry rule, balancing customer requirements with end-of-life regulations. We will also discuss the latest advancements in collision avoidance through differential drag, highlighting their potential to enhance orbital safety. Additionally, the presentation will address the challenges associated with the reliability of CubeSat passivation and the complexities of space traffic management, particularly in the period immediately following rideshare orbit injection. These topics emphasize the need for innovative solutions to ensure the long-term sustainability of CubeSat missions and the broader space environment.
Speaker: Lisa De Backer (ISISPACE) -
12:10
AN OVERVIEW OF SPACE SUSTAINABILITY AT PROJECT KUIPER 20m
Amazon’s Project Kuiper is a planned Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network that will use a constellation of 3232 satellites to provide fast, affordable connectivity to unserved and underserved communities globally. In developing a large constellation, it is necessary to consider space sustainability as a key factor during the design process – not only because it protects the space environment for other operators and astronomers, but also because it is critical to the continued success of the mission. As a result, Project Kuiper has developed a holistic approach to integrating space sustainability into the design and operations of its LEO constellation.
This presentation will provide an overview of Kuiper’s space sustainability efforts. This includes Kuiper’s solutions and ongoing research regarding timely deorbit, collision avoidance, the preservation of dark and quiet skies, satellite demisability, and the atmospheric impacts of satellite reentry. Using Kuiper’s approach as an example, the audience will gain a better understanding of the practical considerations associated with implementing space sustainability initiatives, the solutions available to operators seeking to develop more sustainable systems, and the efforts that large constellation operators are taking to continually improve the space environment for all.
Speaker: Yash Chandramouli (Amazon) -
12:30
OPS-SAT-1 reentry campaign and EOL 20m
Abstract – OPS-SAT-1 EOL
The OPS-SAT-1 spacecraft, an innovative CubeSat mission launched on December 18, 2019, by the European Space Agency (ESA), successfully demonstrated advanced in-orbit technology until its reentry on May 22, 2024. This presentation offers an overview of the satellite’s final weeks of operations, focusing on onboard telemetry analysis, the impact of anomalies, aerodynamic drag, and the influence of the Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) on altitude loss.
The presentation further discusses the UHF campaign, which gathered significant radio amateur support and enabled better reentry coverage than would be expected of a small cubesat mission A 3D visualization and telemetry data were provided live in real time during the last stages of re-entry further increasing the engagement with the public and radio amateur community.
The telemetry gathered onboard, TLE data and ground station passes provide a new dataset for future analysis. Initial findings shall be discussed, and the final dataset is publicly available from the OPS-SAT Space Lab website for researchers interested in performing their own analysis.
ESA mission operators faced several operational challenges in the weeks preceding reentry. Deteriorating components led to undesired reboots and spacecraft recoveries, along with shortening operational windows. The operations team rapidly developed creative solutions, such as Onboard Board Control Procedure (OBCP) to prevent shutdowns of the onboard computer. We discuss operational experiences and lessons learned during the reentry phase to extend the lifetime of the mission and operations, as well as gather relevant telemetry.
This presentation details the OPS-SAT-1 CubeSat’s reentry phase, highlighting the management of anomalies, optimization of aerodynamic drag, and operational challenges. It presents analyses of onboard telemetry and TLE data. The successful campaign involving the amateur radio community for UHF packet collection during reentry provided critical data. The experiences and findings offer valuable lessons for future CubeSat missions.Speaker: Tim Oerther (TERMA GmbH)
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11:30
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Lunch Break 1h
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14:00
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EcoDesign: Tools and Strategies for Ecodesign in Space Auditorium (Erasmus)
Auditorium
Erasmus
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14:00
The Assessment and Comparison Tool - Status and next steps for the simplified, space-specific, prospective LCA tool 20m
The Assessment and Comparison Tool (ACT) combines simplified Life Cycle Assessment with space-specific technical information to compute the environmental impacts of (future) space systems.
The tool is in its second development phase (project REACT). Originally developed to compute rapid prospective LCAs of launch vehicles, ACT’s new objectives cover the wider scope of space transportation services, including space and ground segments. It will enable a more comprehensive set of systems boundaries, implement better models, and embed improved features to provide valuable results in early design phases. These results can be used to support decisions about the architecture and the precise design of a system or mission.
Since the presentation at the CleanSpace Industry Days 2023, the REACT consortium has worked on the new software requirements, and the consolidated LCA methodology. New features providing useful results for informed (eco)design decision-making include a link between REACH and LCA, information about critical raw materials, and new launch and reentry emissions estimations. Ideas to couple LCA with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and Mode-Based Systems Engineering are being discussed too.
Project REACT is bound to last until the end of 2025, with the implementation of new features starting in Q3 2024. In parallel to the tool development, gaps about environmental impacts, data availability, or LCA methodology have been identified and proposed for research projects. Some proposals are being discussed at European level with support from agencies, industries, and academia. The consortium is also actively following and participating in the task force discussions around the updates of the ESA LCA guidelines.
Speakers: Emmanuelle David (EPFL), Marnix Verkammen, Mr Mathieu Udriot (EPFL Space Center) -
14:20
Life Cycle Analysis in PLM 20m
Product design decisions significantly influence the environmental performance of a product from "Cradle to Grave". However, during this critical phase, designers often face a lack of environmental data and context, coupled with long feedback loops regarding the design’s impact. Addressing these challenges offers substantial potential for reducing environmental impact.
Integrating a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) tool into a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system offers a practical solution. This integration aligns with the PLM principle of a “Single Source of Truth” and brings sustainability considerations to the forefront of the early design stages. It enables designers to access sustainability information during the part/product design process, even without prior LCA experience.
CIMPA PLM Services has developed a solution within a PLM toolset that features a simplified interface, abstracting the complexities of LCA and providing an instant single score for new designs or revisions. This approach enhances the accessibility of LCA, shortens the sustainability performance feedback loop, and promotes eco-design principles.
The results obtained from the streamlined LCA can be represented across the Bill Of Material and in multiple visual formats, as well as being overlapped with the Digital Mock-Up to create a true LCA Digital Twin.
CIMPA aims to showcase this solution, demonstrate its applicability to space applications, and explore further development to meet the needs of ESA and its suppliers.
Speaker: Mr Matthew Sullivan -
14:40
LEAT & REAT - Development of a tool for the assessment of launch and re-entry emissions of space transportation systems and their environmental impact 20m
The calculation of emissions from rockets requires a determination of time, location and the occurring species and their quantities. The University of Stuttgart is developing a tool to predict these for the launch and re-entry of rockets. The presentation will introduce the tool, which calculates the emissions of common propellants (LOX/LH2, LOX/CH4, LOX/RP-1, UDMH/NTO, Solid, Hybrid) for the launch and also estimates the afterburning and soot formation of engines. For re-entry, the formation of nitrogen oxides and particle distributions are also modeled in addition to the calculation of the distribution of atmospheric emissions due to the burning of the structure (e.g. aluminium and titanium alloys and CFRP).
The possibilities of the tool and its uncertainties will be illustrated using prominent examples. The data from the tool can be used to carry out climate and ozone simulations in order to record the atmospheric impact of space transportation systems.Speaker: Jan-Steffen Fischer (University of Stuttgart, Institute of Space Systems) -
15:00
ESA LCA Database evolution 20m
ESA LCA DB
ESA LCA Database evolutionAbstract
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 this iteration, impacting the users: ESA LCA database updates, new datasets and way forward. One of the highlights of the presentation is the development of generic datasets, towards the goal of assessing the main impacts in a mission at early stages.
An invitation is extended to current end-users and conference participants in the consolidation process of the existent database through user feedback, user dataset needs, and available data to be shared. Overall, this presentation addresses the steps taken towards evolving the ESA LCA Database during the past year.Keywords: LCA, Database, EcoDesign, generic datatests.
Speakers: ELENA ROCCO (Rina Consulting), Suzana Vladescu (Deimos S,R.L.)
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IOS: Technologies for ADRIOS (Robotics#1) Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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14:00
InSPoC-1/B1 Grappling and Docking Interface Design and Breadboard Tests 20m
OHB Italia is leading the development of the Grappling and Docking Interface (GDI) for ESA’s In-Space-Proof-of-Concept 1 Mission (InSPoC-1), within the OHB consortium. The mission development has completed the Phase B1, following the conclusion of an intensive breadboarding test campaign.
The design of two different Grappling and Docking Interface architectures were outlined, and their performance examined through dedicated simulation models. The mechanisms are designed for large capture ranges, exceeding unit requirements, while the handling of smaller and larger payloads can be tackled by fostering their scalability and modularity features.
The design was supported by a dedicated breadboarding test campaign, in which the mechanisms were tested in an air-bearing test facility. During the test campaign, the docking performance was assessed by considering different levels of misalignments and relative velocities between the target and chaser platforms.
The test data allowed to perform the parameters identification and calibration of the breadboarding simulation models, and to extend their implementation in the flight simulation model, raising the reliability of the flight prediction simulations and analyses, and paving the way for Phase B2 iteration.Speaker: Dr Tharek Mohtar (OHB Italia S.p.A.) -
14:20
Development of Modular Robotic System for In-Orbit Services 20m
The space industry has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, marked by an increasing number of satellites being deployed into Earth's orbit annually. These satellites provide critical services such as telecommunications, imaging, and navigation. However, the rapid expansion of this industry has also led to a significant increase in hazards associated with space debris. Currently, non-functional man-made objects in orbit outnumber operational satellites, posing a substantial collision risk to spacecraft. This paper examines the advancements in active debris removal and in-orbit servicing technologies developed by PIAP Space Sp. z o.o., a Polish aerospace company. The robotic suite consists of components that include robotic manipulator, end effectors, dedicated vision system as well as force and torque sensor. Developed robotic subsystems are used to build new services like in-orbit refuelling. The development is or were performed mainly in the TITAN, EROSS IOD, ORBITA and INORT projects. The objective of the TITAN project is to develop and demonstrate a 7-degrees-of-freedom robotic manipulator system for on-orbit servicing and small debris removal missions. The design of the manipulator is based on scalable joints and boom elements that enable its integration with various systems. Polish Space Research Centre is cooperating in the development of the control subsystem. The targeted technology readiness level is 6. The TITAN manipulator is at the finish of a MAIT phase. Integrated models were subject of functional, TVAC, shock and vibration test campaigns. Project closeout is scheduled for September 2024. TITAN technology is used in subsequent orbital and planetary projects. The Launch Adapter Ring Gripper EM was developed in the EROSS+ project. Further models (named LARIS) are under development in EROSS IOD. The gripper constitutes an end effector for a robotic arm of a servicing satellite and is designed to grasp and clamp interface of a target satellite during the berthing manoeuvre. This enables attitude and trajectory control including deorbiting as well as maintenance and repair operations. The functionality of the LARIS Gripper will be evaluated during the in-orbit demonstration. Important functional test campaign on air-bearing table was performed to corelate contact models and simulation. Series of environmental tests are ongoing. EQM model is currently under development. LARIS is also considered as a base for docking/berthing/securing subsystems. Multiple devices were developed within the ORBITA project. The Multipurpose Servicing Gripper (MULTIS) is mounted on a robotic arm as an end effector. It is intended for conducting upkeeping operations on on-orbit satellites by grappling parts of the target satellites and using interchangeable tools. The vision system for the purpose of launch adapter ring position estimation during rendezvous is based on time-of-flight detector. The calculations of spatial transformations of the technology demonstrator are conducted on dedicated computer which uses parallel computing to expedite processing. The force and torque sensor (FORTIS) is intended to be placed on the end of robotic arm, prior to its end effector. A proprietary controller and software compatible with strain gauge sensor were developed. FORTIS functional and selected environmental tests were finalised in 2023. The INORT project, currently being executed by PIAP Space in collaboration with the Łukasiewicz Institute of Aviation, focuses on the development of innovative European technology for the in-orbit refuelling and servicing of satellites. This technology aims to extend the operational lifespan of satellites, reduce space debris, and achieve cost savings, thereby contributing to more sustainable space missions. The scope of the first phase of INORT project includes market analysis, the definition of system requirements, and the conceptual design of the proposed system, alongside the development of a roadmap for ground-based demonstrations. The final system is expected to integrate several devices developed by PIAP Space. Above mentioned developments are intended to help in providing safer and cleaner space.
Speaker: Mr Dominik Kleszczynski (PIAP Space) -
14:40
SIROM: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS. AIR-BEARING TEST CAMPAIGN AS A CRUCIAL STEP FOR VALIDATING DOCKING APPLICABILITY. 20m
In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in interest in the sustainable development of the space sector. Public awareness of the space debris problem within the context of future space logistics has significantly driven the development of solutions to address this critical issue.
SENER Aeroespacial is committed to playing a key role in addressing this challenge. The company is not only applying sustainable design principles in the selection of materials and processes but also enhancing the capabilities of its technological products that could be instrumental in the cleaning and prevention of space debris.
SIROM is a modular, plug-and-play robotic interface designed for the transfer of data, power, and fluids. It presents a latching mechanism that ensures a rigid connection. This mechanism's ability to mechanically connect devices presents a significant opportunity to prevent the increase of space debris by equipping clients with passive interfaces (I/Fs). Thereby, after its operational lifetime, by means of diverse operations deorbiting could be possible (e.g. using robotic arms equipped with SIROM to capture prepared defunct satellites and then deorbiting them together safely as part of a larger debris system; or, using small autonomous deorbit kits equipped with SIROM, able to dock to a client to slowly alter their orbits until they re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up)
In the last few years, the participation in project of the In Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) domain have motivated developments to enable docking and refuelling operations.
Recently, SENER has participated in SPoC-1 project phase B1, making considerable efforts to prove SIROM applicability for docking operations. Among the activities performed an air-bearing test campaign at ORBIT facility was conducted to study different conditions.
The test was designed to assess the interaction between two floating vehicles during the mechanical capture process, and, subsequently, correlate it with a rigid body contact model in ADAMS to assess the veracity of the computational representations.Along these test campaign different capture conditions are tested (relative positions and velocities), used to characterize SIROM capture range in 2D microgravity conditions.
Learnings both on the SIROM performance and experiment’s setup definition will be presented.
Speaker: Alejandro Lazaro (Sener) -
15:00
Robotic system and mechanical interface design for the Italian In-Orbiting servicing demo mission 20m
As the number of satellites and the complexity of space missions increase, the need for standardized mechanical interfaces results as a crucial aspect for facilitate interoperability, reduce costs and enhance mission flexibility. This aspect is particular important for the In Orbit servicing missions were refurbishment or deorbiting of existing satellites are expected to help to improve the sustainability of space.
In this scenario, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) recently awarded a contract for In-Orbit Servicing demo mission to an Italian consortium led by Thales Alenia Space Italy, including Leonardo, Telespazio, Avio, D-Orbit, and other space companies.
The In-Orbit Servicing demo mission will be performed with two main space assets, the Servicer, which is the satellite capable of carrying the technologies to perform the IOS services, and the Target that is in charge to support the in-orbit validation of the technologies and functions enabling the following tasks:
- De-orbiting of a decommissioned satellite
- Re-orbiting/Relocation and take-over of an active satellite
In order to accomplish the aforementioned primary goals and duties, the robotic system includes different mechanisms such as a robotic arm equipped with a gripper and a berthing mechanism for the rigidization between the two satellites. The primary challenge has been to develop a mechanical design that enables the robotic subsystem to be adaptable to several satellites.
For this reason, the cost and scalability of such robotic systems might be reduced by standardizing interfaces, which could also eliminate issues resulting from incompatibility amongst satellites.
This work will present the essential elements of the architecture applicable to the in-orbit servicing activities with identified initial requirements, design choices and trade-off for the interfaces to use for the capture and rigidization of the two satellites.
Speaker: Alberto Da Rold
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Zero Debris: De-orbit and Passivation Technologies Highbay (Erasmus)
Highbay
Erasmus
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14:00
ADEO – The Deployable Passive De-Orbit Sail Subsystem 20m
Regulations for the deorbiting of satellites after their end-of-business are getting more stringent across all space fairing nations. In compliance with these new regulations, HPS offers a family of dragsail systems with the name ADEO that allow passive deorbiting of satellites by using the residual atmosphere in LEO. The current ADEO family consists of the ADEO-P (1.7 m²), ADEO-C (3.4 m²), ADEO-N (5 m²), ADEO-M (15 m²) and ADEO-L (25 m²). To achieve the best performance, the sail size is chosen depending on the satellite design and its specific mission.
During different governmental funded and commercial programs and missions, the ADEO dragsail achieved its full qualification and maturity and is therefore the most advanced solution on the market. The ADEO-N has flight heritage, e.g. its version ADEO-N2 is currently deorbiting a satellite. The ADEO-L finished its qualification campaign in December 2023 and will be integrated on the host satellite in 2024.
The ADEO-N2 mission, a 3.6 m² drag sail onboard of D-Orbit’s “Dauntless David” ION Satellite Carrier, deployed on the 15th of December 2022. The deployment could be recorded by the onboard camera system and the onboard telemetry data is continuously collected. The results give a lot of confidence in the ADEO subsystem and its possible contribution to the Zero Debris Policy and Requirements. An additional advantage of ADEO is that its application is not limited to deorbiting, as ADEO-L is also proposed to be used for detection of space debris.Speakers: Frank Hoffmann (HPS GmbH), Liesbeth Arnouts (HPS GmbH) -
14:20
Astrobrake: the importance of focusing on reliability and simplicity for deorbiting LEO spacecraft 20m
Recent regulatory changes mandate that spacecraft must possess reliable deorbiting capabilities, requiring all subsystems to remain operational after extended periods in space. Ensuring high reliability presents significant challenges for manufacturers due to time and budget constraints. Astrobrake's simple and spacecraft-independent design inherently ensures high reliability. However, limitations include reduced effectiveness at high altitudes, dependency on solar activity, and challenges in debris avoidance.
This analysis aims to understand the cost implications of achieving reliability in deorbiting systems and proposes a system that meets end-of-life regulations with minimal impact on spacecraft design. It includes a cost analysis to assess financial burdens, a review of regulatory demands and a comparative analysis is performed against electric propulsion and other deorbiting method.
Speaker: Jordan Culeux (Gama) -
14:40
RAPACE - AOCS with (un)foldable membrane in VLEO 20m
The current trend and interest in a sustainable space crystallises the efforts of European space actors. One of the key themes of the ESA Cleanspace directives and French Space Operations Act from CNES includes the development of end-of-life technologies to minimize the number of debris after completion of the mission.
The introduction of space laws, guidelines and charter to reduce the number of space debris - with the aim of ensuring the safety of people on earth and leaving a “clean space” and a zero debris policy - has made the end of life phase in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) a very important one. When the risk of casualty is not compatible with an uncontrolled re-entry, the French Space Operations Act in particular proposes a Natural Assisted Re-entry or a more classical Controlled Re-entry for certain LEO satellites. Both strategies require the satellite’s attitude control to very low orbits with an even higher demanding controllability for Natural Assisted Re-entries.
The flight conditions at very low altitude below 200km (Very LEO) impose the consideration of high aerodynamic disturbance torques strongly impacting the sizing of the AOCS subsystem (Attitude and Orbit Control System) but also a need to master the drag force environment knowledge at very low altitude for a good implementation of mission objectives.
Previous R&T and Tech4SpaceCare (T4SC) studies conducted and co-funded in collaboration with CNES have initiated the development of an AOCS actuator based on (un)foldable membranes. The suite of studies demonstrated very interesting capabilities to control the spacecraft attitude and orbit during its deorbiting phase up to very low altitude, as well as proposed preliminary algorithms for its control. This work resulted in the implementation of a POC (“Proof Of Concept”) RAPACE (Rentrée Assistée Précise avec AOCS Contrôlé par Enrouleur) to be flown on a nano-satellite in the frame of the T4SC CNES project.
This presentation aims at introducing :
an overview of the current state of maturation of the proposed technical solution from both a software and hardware point of view,
the "Proof of Concept" (POC) envisaged for a flight demonstration.
Speaker: Pierre Dandré -
15:00
Pursuing Innovation – Clean Solid Propulsion for Satellite Deorbitation 20m
In the highly populated LEO region the controlled disposal of satellites, upper rocket bodies and interstages at the end of their life cycle requires effective propulsion systems. This presentation introduces the development of a novel Solid Propulsion System designed for deorbitation manoeuvres, utilizing an aluminium-free propellant Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) integrated with a dedicated Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system. This concept is a result of several consecutive ESA activities performed by Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation and its partners from Poland. The SRM is engineered to address the challenges of high ΔV and low acceleration manoeuvres, requiring extended burn times and advanced thermal insulation solutions. The TVC system ensures precise control during the deorbitation process. The presentation presents the design, development, and testing phases of the SRM Engineering Model, highlighting the innovative approaches taken to meet the stringent requirements of Space Debris Mitigation guidelines. Emphasis is placed on the scalability and modularity of the system, catering to various satellite sizes and mission profiles. Conclusions from the initial test campaign of the TVC system are also presented, together with the further development roadmap. The findings contribute to the advancement of sustainable space operations by offering a reliable solution for controlled satellite deorbitation, aligning with international Space Debris Mitigation standards and ESA’s Clean Space initiatives.
Speaker: Mr Pawel Nowakowski (Lukasiewicz Research Network - Institute of Aviation)
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14:00
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15:30
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16:00
Coffee Break 30m
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16:00
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17:30
EcoDesign: Improving ESA LCA & Ecodesign Methodology Auditorium (Erasmus)
Auditorium
Erasmus
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16:00
ESA LCA Handbook Update 20m
ESA has been pioneering the application of LCA to evaluate environmental impacts of space projects. The space sector is a unique domain, for which the application of LCA requires the development of dedicated databases and methodological rules. ESA published in 2016, for the first time ever, a Space Systems Life Cycle Assessment Guidelines, being a setting up stone in the progress of LCA for the space sector. Since that date, the methodology and the space industry have evolved and many lessons learned has been collected through its applications in different ESA projects. In 2024, ESA has started its update of its ESA LCA Guidelines. This presentation will show the main updates being performed.
Speaker: Mr Enrico Tormena (ESA) -
16:20
Data Quality Rating for LCA in the space sector 20m
Data Quality Rating (DQR) allows to assess the level of credibility of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) performed. Furthermore, it allows to identify gaps, drive subsequent data collection and enables fair comparison of systems. This makes DQR calculation one of the most important parameters to be assessed when analyzing the environmental performance of systems and of the underlying data. This presentation introduces an updated DQR methodology tailored specifically for LCAs in the space sector. The enhanced methodology incorporates sector-specific criteria and advanced evaluation metrics, addressing the unique challenges posed by the diverse and complex nature of space missions and technologies. Key updates include refined assessment parameters for data completeness, precision, and technological, temporal and geographical representativeness, as well as criteria taking in consideration both the collection of data and its modelling. The proposed DQR framework aims to standardize data quality evaluations, thus ensuring more robust and credible LCAs. Case studies demonstrating the application of the updated methodology in recent space missions will be discussed, highlighting its effectiveness in identifying data quality gaps and improving overall assessment accuracy.
Speaker: Roxane Josses (ESA) -
17:00
CASE STUDIES ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY IMPACTS OF SELECTED ESA ACTIVITIES WITH LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT 20m
As set up in Agenda 2025, 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 2030. The ESA Green Agenda contains actions in five different areas that will lead to a more sustainable Agency, notably:
- Area 1: Develop and implement a sustainability strategy for ESA space projects and activities, including the development of a methodology to quantitatively evaluate (ex-ante and ex-post) the environmental positive impacts (downstream) of ESA projects and activities.
- Area 3: Promote the execution of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), as a main instrument to assess the environmental performance of space systems and identify relevant hotspots to be mitigated through eco-design.The purpose of the activity “Case studies on the environmental and sustainability impacts of selected ESA activities with LCA” is to develop the expertise in assessing environmental and sustainability impacts of ESA projects and activities through ten case studies evaluated with LCA.
For each case study, ESA would like to identify the key environmental hotspots within its own scope of activities and be able to identify and possibly assess the potential benefits for other activities related to the services provided by ESA’s activities. The idea is to use the case studies as a basis for a conceptual framework applicable to evaluate ESA’s other and future activities.
Deloitte has been contracted in a Consortium with VITO and RINA to evaluate the environmental and sustainability impacts of the ten selected case studies, followed by the development of the conceptual framework.
This session will present the ten case studies, methodological developments / issues and the future outlook for this ongoing activity.
Speaker: Natacha Wonneberger
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16:00
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16:00
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17:30
IOS: Technologies for ADRIOS (Robotics#2) Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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16:00
Robotic technologies for a sustainable on-orbit servicing ecosystem: ASSIST, MICE/CAT and MIRROR 20m
In recent years, the space sector has undergone a deep transformation. A few concepts from the “New Space” paradigm are playing a pivotal role: cost reduction through economies of scale, intensive use of COTS, standardisation and accelerated development cycles are among the most relevant ones.
A second transformation wave will need from a comprehensive on-orbit transportation and servicing ecosystem. Enabling conditions for this are: firstly, the commitment to socially and environmentally responsible development of space activities (e.g. the adoption of a Zero debris policy); and secondly, the availability of technology capable of meeting the highly demanding needs both from performance and cost perspectives.
This paper describes the latest technological advancements in space robotics (within the European context) that will enable the on-orbit transportation, servicing and debris removal ecosystem.
In the field of sustainability, ESA is preparing the new generation of Earth Observation satellites for an eventual End-of-Life removal: the Copernicus Sentinel Expansion Missions have adopted the Design for Removal Interface Requirements Document by ESA and are being equipped with MICE (Mechanical Interface for Capture at End-of-Life). The robotic technologies for capture and removal at the servicer side, including a MICE-compatible end-effector, clamping devices, optical navigation, avionics and control functions are also in an advanced stage of development. All these elements are integrated within a unified system: CAT - the Return Capture Payload Bay. CAT is a specialized payload that works in coordination to a servicer vehicle GNC to perform the final approach navigation, capture, stabilization and securing of the stack for de-orbiting the failed/uncontrolled spacecraft.
On-orbit servicing and assembly will also play a key role in the future space economy by optimising launch costs and enabling new scalable mission schemes. The deployment and assembly of large structures on orbit will be a recurring operation in this area. The Multi-arm Installation Robot for Readying ORUS and Reflectors (MIRROR) is an ESA-funded activity lead by GMV, that has produced the first-ever European prototype of a self-relocatable robotic system for on-orbit operations, particularly on-orbit large structure assembly and spacecraft servicing for maintenance, repairs or upgrades.
The ability to provide on-orbit servicing could increase lifespan, enhance performance or even enable dynamic mission objectives reconfiguration. Modular spacecraft design and refuelling capacities are key enablers in this field. ASSIST is the first initiative towards standardisation of refuelling interfaces in Europe. Based on an Open Interface approach is currently on the path towards its on-orbit demonstration.Speaker: Mr Manuel Prieto (GMV Aerospace & Defence) -
16:20
Definition of a System Interconnect Standard for Orbital Operations 20m
The current trend and interest in sustainable space is crystallizing the efforts of European space stakeholders. By combining new technologies or new concepts with use cases already identified and considered as business cases (OOS – On Orbit Servicing and ISAM – In-Space Servicing Assembly and Manufacturing) in the short, medium and long term, potential opportunities and applications increase. The profusion of ideas is matched only by the multiplication of technical solutions proposed and therefore raises the question of interoperability and compatibility of systems with each other.
From an end user point of view, having a servicing interface compatible with many other interfaces is fundamental. And this is particularly true and important if the mission requires mechanical, data and power connection successively on several interfaces, one after the other, using the same interconnection system. The example of USB (known to the general public) is a reference to promote the normalisation and standardization of interconnection concepts, and the path proposed to be followed within the framework of the project Space USB. The project, funded by the European Commission and started in January 2024, paves the way for a flexible, universal interface like what was done with USB in Information Technology, for connection and assembly applications in orbit. Space USB aims to meet the growing need for physical interoperability of space systems.
This presentation introduces :
- A benchmark criteria focusing on SI (Standard Interconnect) for large system integrator
- Technological barriers to push towards standardisation of the European System Interconnect
- Key drivers, Approach and Rationale towards an European SIOverall, the presentation offers an overview of the current status of maturation of the different technologies used for in-space mechanical, data and power system interconnection available in Europe as well as details of the efforts to converge towards interoperability.
Keywords: SI, OOS, OSAM, ISAM, Standard, Interoperability.
Speakers: Come BERGER, Mr Pierre DANDRE -
16:40
Space Infrastructure: Multifunctional Interfaces as the Key to ISAM and More 20m
The upsurge of innovative and commercial NewSpace ventures and general trends in the space industry suggest a move toward space industrialization, taking space infrastructure and related logistics to new horizons with challenges and opportunities in technology, systems, missions, operations, and business. By and large, these developments and concepts will benefit from collaborative design and PnP (Plug-and-Play) principles, which in turn are centered on modular architectures as an enabling system philosophy per se, based on building blocks and interfaces. In this context, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing) and supporting robotics will drive game-changing
developments.The presentation will address the vision and mission of iBOSS and will focus on interfaces as enabling components. An overview of generic space system interface functionalities will be followed by updates on iBOSS' core modular interface solutions in the context of technical connectivity and transfer scenarios and applications. The iSSI (intelligent Space System Interface) is a multi-functional connector - already demonstrated and tested in space in 2022 and used in laboratory testing and ISAM development by a variety of international stakeholders. The iSSI provides mechanical connection, power and data transfer, saves time and money, solves integration problems and facilitates modular architectures by also serving as a robotic end effector or foot. The iFEX (intelligent Fuel EXchanger) is an innovative fuel transfer interface solution for all propellant types, designed for in-space refueling to extend system life and increase mission flexibility. Both interfaces are androgynous and have a flat surface. Selected use cases covering orbital, cislunar and exploration applications will be presented, supported by short video sequences and flight hardware to be passed around.
Finally, an outlook will be given on new mission, system and service opportunities as well as options for new ConOps and business models.Keywords: ISAM, OSAM, OOS, ISOS, Interface, Confers
Speaker: Thomas A. Schervan (iBOSS GmbH) -
17:00
Intelligent Perception & Robotics for Debris Removal 20m
Abstract
Redwire Space Europe (Luxembourg): Jan DentlerRedwire Space Europe is at the forefront of developing advanced actuation and perception technologies tailored for the clean space industry. As a subsystem provider, we deliver critical solutions that empower mission integrators to execute debris removal, satellite servicing, in space manufacturing and assembly and space domain awareness operations with greater efficiency and reliability.
With the STAARK robotic arm product family, Redwire has introduced an affordable and robust actuation solution, enabling satellite servicing, capture and manipulation of space debris. The next evolution of STAARK integrates perception to increase system autonomy. This includes capabilities such as tracking fiducial markers and structural models.
To enable these perception capabilities, Redwire develops a stand-alone perception utility software library that consists of commonly used algorithms ruggedized for space.
This will help customers and reduce the burden/costs for developing respective perception flight software.Given the challenges posed by the deformation and fragmentation of space debris, Redwire has also developed a generative solution to detect optimal grasping points on unknown objects with no need for prior object information.
The development of these new perception solutions for rendezvous and proximity operations are complemented by the "Black Hole" test facility, specifically designed for close-range RPO scenarios, dataset generation, and algorithm validation under realistic motion and illumination conditions.
Keywords: orbital debris removal, perception, space situational awareness, space rendezvous, spacecraft capture, in-orbit servicing, space domain awareness.
Speaker: Mr Jan Dentler (Redwire Space Europe)
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16:00
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16:00
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17:30
Zero Debris: De-orbit and Passivation Technologies Highbay (Erasmus)
Highbay
Erasmus
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16:00
Concepts for controlled de-orbiting with green propulsion solutions by ISPTech 20m
InSpacePropulsion Technologies (ISPTech) is a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Institute of Space Propulsion in Lampoldshausen. The Institute has more than a decade of experience in green propellant research and green propulsion hardware development. Based on this knowledge, in-house thruster and propulsion hardware development was pushed forward. Currently, two promising technologies are commercialised by the DLR spin-off ISPTech: the HyNOx bipropellant technology, based on nitrous oxide and hydrocarbon fuels, as well as the HIP_11 technology, based on hydrogen peroxide and ionic liquid hypergolic fuels. Both technologies provide significant advantages by using green propellants in terms of reduced hazards and environmental impact compared to conventional propulsion solutions.
The presentation will give an overview on the qualification status of ISPTechs HyNOx CubeSat propulsion modules. The 4U and 1U modules are well suited for different orbit manoeuvres including a reliable and controlled de-orbiting. The modules are designed as a plug-and-play solution with scalable tanks. Therefore, propulsion modules can be derived providing de-orbit capabilities for larger satellites. Further concepts for controlled de-orbiting solutions will be presented.Speaker: Felix Lauck (ISPTech InSpacePropulsion Technologies GmbH) -
16:20
DARK: Deorbit ARkadia's Kit 20m
DARK: D eorbit AR kadia’s K it
Abstract
Arkadia Space develops and manufactures a line of novel monopropellant and bipropellant propulsion systems based on 98% hydrogen peroxide (HTP). A truly green propellant, offering high performance at a fraction of the cost when compared to current hydrazine-based systems.
This innovative technology is a result of successful collaboration with the European Space Agency on multiple projects and contracts over the past three years (currently Arkadia has started 3 contracts with ESA). Furthermore, Arkadia Space is backed by great investors like SpaceTech VC Expansion Ventures, or space veterans like Antoine de Chassy, founder of Loft Orbital and Pedro Duque, first Spanish astronaut.
At this paper, Arkadia Space would like to present the DARK deorbit propulsion kit that has been built using the in-house developed 5N monopropellant thruster. DARK can operate incorporating one or two 5N thrusters, providing a total maximum thrust at BOL of 16N.
The majority of the main components, including the 5N thrusters, HTP tank, safety and drain valves have been independently developed and manufactured by Arkadia Space team.
Multiple ground tests of mentioned components show exciting compliance not only with tasks of Attitude and Reaction Orbital Control for satellites, collision avoidance and de-orbiting manoeuvres of space platforms at the end of their lifespan, but also a good fit for autonomous rendezvous and docking operations in space, crucial for in-orbit servicing and logistics.
DARK system is currently undergoing final testing in preparation for a demonstration flight scheduled for 2025. This deorbiting propulsion kit, targeted for small satellites of 50kg and more, offers a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional hydrazine-based systems to mitigate space debris, both as a deorbiting device or as a collision avoidance kit.
Speaker: Sergii Kamenskyi (Arkadia Space) -
16:40
D-Orbit’s Deorbiting Kit: An unique onboard solution of space debris mitigation by actively deorbiting launch adaptors from the LEO Orbits 20m
The increasing number of space debris in the LEO orbits imposes a significant threat for the space environment. Therefore, mitigation and remedial measures taken against further space debris creation have gained significant importance to provide a safe and sustainable space environment.
D-Orbit’s DeOrbiting Kit (DOK) is an independent autonomous system for LEO missions which will provide a unique solution to mitigate space debris creation by launch adaptors and satellites. It is a ground-installed deorbiting solution which is being designed and developed by D-Orbit as a prime under the Space Safety Programme (S2P). Its main objective is to provide an onboard debris prevention measure for launch adaptors and satellites.
The kit comprises of a suite of equipment that is installed on the ground before the launch of the satellite which is capable of carrying out the necessary functions to safely perform a controlled re-entry of the satellite at its end-of-life or after a failure. The system design comprises of high reliability avionics and COTS sensors which will enable the kit to adapt to different applications.
The target of the In-Orbit Demonstrator (IOD) currently planned to be launched in 2027 is to deorbit a dual launch adaptor (VESPA upper part). The ultimate goal is to develop a modular and scalable concept that would allow the deorbiting kit to be accommodated on other launch adaptors and satellites. This will enable them to be compliant with the ESA zero debris policy to preserve the endangered lower Earth orbits.
Speaker: Dr Madhubrata Chatterjee (D-Orbit) -
17:00
Passivation Needs for Zero Debris 20m
The electrical passivation presentation will provide a rationale for the necessity of electrical passivation and its most common current solutions implemented in the PCDUs. We will also discuss the key challenges associated with the implementation of electrical passivation and examine the market's demands for it in the near future and the possible evolution of electrical passivation solutions to cover those demands.
Speaker: Gustavo Alvarez Diaz
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16:00
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17:30
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17:45
Transfer time to Tennis Hall 15m
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17:45
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18:05
General: Keynote: Airborne Observation of the Cluster-II Salsa Re-entry Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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17:45
Airborne Observation of the Cluster-II Salsa Re-entry 20m
On 8 September 2024, the re-entry of the cluster-II Salsa satellite was observed successfully approximatly 1500km West of Easter Island from a commercial business jet. We present in this talk the rationale for such an observation mission as well as the layout and design of the experimental setup with 26 lenses at 6 window stations, the preparation based on re-entry break-up predictions and eventually the execution of the actual observation campaign. Some very first results will detail the challenges and eventually the success. This observation mission was a team effort of Astros Solutions (Bratislava UK), HEFDiG at Institute of Space Systems (IRS, Stuttgart, Germany), Hyperschalltechnologie Goettingen (HTG, Goettingen, Germany), the University of Bratislava (Bratislava, Slovakia) and the University of Southern Queensland (Toowoomba, Australia). We will not only show how to squeeze a remarkable amount of experimental hardware together with 10 researchers into a business jet, but also give a first glance at spectroscopic data and some first preliminary re-entry break-up results. We will conclude with lessons learned and gained experience.
Speakers: Beatriz Jilete, Stefan Loehle (IRS, HEFDiG)
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17:45
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18:05
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18:15
General: Keynote: Pathways towards Zero Debris: Legal Transformation, Economic Incentives and the Role of Young Space Professionals Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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18:05
Pathways towards Zero Debris: Legal Transformation, Economic Incentives and the Role of Young Space Professionals 10m
Although increasingly signed and soon to be supplemented with a technical handbook, the Zero Debris Charter remains non-binding and not enforceable. If the charter itself cannot mandate compliance, what alternative means of implementation are available? How can policymakers shape frameworks that facilitate a circular space economy and lead towards the aspirational vision of zero debris as outlined in the charter? Additionally, how can economic incentives drive adherence to the charter and the implementation of the handbook's technical recommendations?
Furthermore, it is vital to evaluate the tangible and intangible outcomes of the space generation (young professionals) activities. With a significant focus on students and young professional activities, accountability and contribution towards the long-term goal of a circular space economy is paramount.
This paper explores collaborative approaches to shaping a circular space economy that not only ensures the long-term sustainability and growth of space activities but also generates benefits for Earth. By examining the legal transformation methodology, economic incentives, and the role of young space professionals in this process, we aim to find comprehensive pathways to a thriving, sustainable space economy that sustains benefits for both space and life on Earth.
Speaker: Isabelle Mierau (Space Debris DAO)
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18:05
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18:15
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19:45
Poster Session Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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18:15
Estimating Physical Quantities of an Unknown Object 20m
Dear Clean Space Committee,
My name is Emre Ergene, and I am currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Space Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. I am conducting my thesis research in collaboration with Ecosmic. The focus of my research is to estimate the Ballistic Coefficient (BC) of various objects, primarily consisting of space debris. The Ballistic Coefficient is a critical parameter, expressed as BC = A/m * C_D, and it plays a significant role in the re-entry analysis of these objects.
Through my literature review, I have identified four methodologies to estimate this parameter. One of the methods involves the use of Two-Line Elements (TLE), specifically those available from Spacetrack. In this approach, atmospheric drag acceleration is the primary equation, enabling the estimation of BC. However, recognizing the variability in atmospheric density values depending on the atmospheric model employed, my research has expanded to include a comparative analysis of different atmospheric models (Jacchia, MSIS, NRLMSIS) to ensure the accuracy of my calculations.
Given that atmospheric drag acceleration is only applicable to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) objects, this approach is limited to such objects. Consequently, I have explored an alternative approach for other orbital regimes, known as the Orbit Propagation approach. In this method, various perturbations are considered and propagated between TLE pairs, again sourced from Spacetrack, with BC used as a free parameter until a fit between the propagation results and the TLE data is achieved. This approach is also utilized in DISCOSweb, and I intend to compare these two methods to assess their reliability.
While the aforementioned approaches are post-processing methods, real-time processing can be achieved through the Orbit Determination approach, which also incorporates ground-based measurements.
Given the availability of TLE data for many objects through Spacetrack, some of which have known reference BC values, the final approach I am considering is the application of Machine Learning. This approach is particularly promising, as machine learning algorithms excel in situations involving unpredictability, such as the calculation of atmospheric density—a scenario similar to weather forecasting where AI has demonstrated significant success.
I believe that my work aligns closely with the objectives of Clean Space Days, as the analysis of space debris and the estimation of their characteristics are essential for Active Debris Removal operations. Additionally, understanding the re-entry timelines of these objects will contribute to a clearer understanding of the evolution of LEO and other orbital regions.
Thank you for considering my application.
Yours sincerely,
Emre ErgeneSpeaker: Emre Ergene (Politecnico di Milano) -
18:15
Space Sustainability Through Design Thinking: A Strategic Approach to Developing a Commercially Viable Solution for a Sustainable Space Environment 20m
In recent years, the focus of the space industry has experienced a trend shift towards space sustainability. However, while many challenges have been identified, there is still a clear lack of commercially viable solutions. To address this issue, our student team “PeriSpace” is participating in the Green Space Challenge of the ESA Business Incubation Center in Reutlingen, aiming to develop a startup in the field of space sustainability.
To determine the best solution to pursue, we utilized the design thinking method. This approach allows us to identify the concrete issues, needs, and pain points of the space industry related to space sustainability, but it also identifies opportunities for developing a viable business model. Following this method, we conducted numerous interviews with experts from the space industry, including engineers, insurance companies, space lawyers, governmental agencies, and more.
Based on the results of these interviews, we have identified a key problem: A clear lack of solutions to reduce debris generation and risk on the space environment by maximizing the utilization of satellites. Through the ideation process, the solution space was narrowed down to in-orbit servicing, which was identified as having the greatest potential to address this problem. The focus was mainly on services such as life extension and in-orbit repairs, but other service types (e.g., in-orbit refueling and manufacturing) have also been mentioned and will be explored further.
In the next step, we plan to conduct user surveys with potential customers (e.g., satellite operators) to determine how to develop a business model centered around in-orbit servicing with a focus on space sustainability. Following that, our goal is to build a minimum viable product to gather additional feedback and to iteratively develop and refine our in-orbit servicing solution.Speakers: Nico Müller, Sarah Herrmann, Mr Shankho Boron Ghosh, Mr Vivek Selvaraju -
18:15
Wooden materials for space – an insight into research on bio-based ablative thermal protection materials and their path to REXUS 20m
Sustainable development based on innovative solutions for existing technologies can be promoted by shifting the resource base of the space industry towards renewable, bio-based raw materials for material-intensive applications and thus enhancing a bioeconomy in space by greener technologies.
Bio- and wood-based materials are promising for the use as a thermal protection system (TPS) material for hot structures such as the leading edges of stabilising fins, fairings, nose cones and other TPS applications due to their relatively low density, low thermal conductivity, easy handling and good ablative behaviour.
This contribution gives an insight on the design and the challenges of developing a bio-based thermal protection material, mainly consisting of natural fibres. First outlining the state of the art in the application of wooden and cork materials in launchers and spacecraft, and further presenting current research work on the bio-based thermal protection material TPSea. Thereby test results in the arc-heated wind tunnel L2K of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will be presented next to thermal and mechanical screening tests. The measurements show a good suitability and indicate increased mechanical properties compared to state of the art TPS materials.
An insight will be given into the ongoing REXUS Experiment SHAMA (Sustainable Ablative Heat-protective Ablative Material), which will fly on REXUS 34 in 2025 with the aim of testing the feasibility of the TPSea material under the flight conditions of REXUS.Speaker: Raphaela Günther (TU Dresden) -
18:35
Advanced Electrodynamic Tether Technology for Sustainable Debris Mitigation in LEO 20m
The exponential increase of space debris in LEO poses a significant threat to both operational satellites and future space missions. The implementation of electrodynamic tether technology presents a promising solution for the active removal of space debris, contributing to the Zero Debris initiative and enhancing the sustainability of space activities. This study investigates the efficiency and operational viability of a novel, lightweight EDT system designed for small CubeSats, focusing on its ability to deorbit debris in a controlled manner without requiring onboard propulsion systems.
In the research, a 20-meter long, conductive tether made from a highly conductive, ultra-thin aluminum alloy, was developed. This tether was integrated into a standard 3U CubeSat and deployed in a series of controlled LEO orbits at altitudes ranging between 600 km and 1,000 km. The tether system harnesses the interaction with Earth's magnetic field to generate a Lorentz force, gradually lowering the satellite's orbit over time.
Results:
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Deorbiting Efficiency: The tether demonstrated a consistent decay in orbital altitude at an average rate of 2.3 km per day at 800 km altitude, effectively reducing the satellite's orbital lifetime by over 70% compared to passive decay.
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Power Consumption: The system operated with a minimal power draw, averaging 0.5 W, allowing for long-term operation without significantly impacting the CubeSat's primary mission capabilities.
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Material Durability: The tether maintained structural integrity throughout the mission, withstanding multiple micrometeoroid impacts and prolonged exposure to space weather conditions, confirming its suitability for long-term deployments.
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Electromagnetic Interference: The CubeSat’s communication and sensor systems experienced no significant interference from the tether’s operation, validating its compatibility with standard satellite systems.
This research demonstrates that electrodynamic tethers offer a viable, low-cost method for reducing space debris. Further development and deployment of this technology could significantly contribute to achieving a sustainable, debris-free orbital environment.
Speaker: María de la Almudena Martín Gómez -
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18:35
Development and Verification of Demisable Inserts for Joining of Satellite Panels and Equipment 20m
With increasing use of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, the space debris mitigation requirements for their disposal become more and more rigorous, necessitating development of novel technology to ensure satellite’s complete demise during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Design for Demise (D4D) is a design philosophy aimed at minimizing the risk posed by space debris during uncontrolled re-entries of spacecraft and satellites. One promising D4D approach that has gained traction in recent years is the early disintegration of the satellite during re-entry, by exposing previously shielded components to aerodynamic heating, thereby improving their likelihood of complete demise. An enabler of such an approach is the reformed design of mechanical joints holding exterior structural panels together, which are designed to release the panels from the spacecraft at high altitudes during re-entry.
Airbus Defence and Space has spearheaded the development and validation of sandwich panel inserts designed to facilitate the passive separation of satellite structural elements. These inserts incorporate a soldered interface that weakens upon re-entry, causing the insert to split into two parts, thereby detaching the connected components. These components may include structural panels or equipment attached to the satellite's structure. A similar concept has already been qualified for use on the Sentinel-1 C&D satellite, which employs a similar soldered connection within the brackets that secure the SAR Antenna to the spacecraft.
This study details the manufacturing and testing methodology established to demonstrate the potential of a dedicated demisable insert design for future LEO satellite missions. A consistent manufacturing process has been demonstrated, along with reliable Quality Assurance (QA) procedures for the internal soldered surfaces. Tensile and release testing was conducted on the inserts, confirming their mechanical integrity and suitability as replacements for traditional inserts in future LEO satellites, where separation functionality is required.Speaker: Krystian Jakubczyk (Cranfield University) -
18:35
Feasibility study on the recycling of a close to end-of-life optical Earth-observing satellite constellation for orbital debris detection 20m
The growing amount of space debris is a phenomenon of great concern to the safe use of space. Despite growth mitigation guidelines, the spatial density of objects in LEO is only predicted to rise. In order to keep operational satellites safe, orbital debris needs to be tracked as best as possible to predict potentially hazardous collisions. Current ground-based observing facilities are limited by several factors: the atmosphere hinders the ability to see objects smaller than a few centimetres and measurements from several facilities cannot guarantee to be of the same object.
This project aims to counter the latter problem, by analysing the difference in observation access time of observations from in-orbit satellites with observations from a ground-station. To do so, this project proposes a feasibility study on the recycling of close-to-end-of-life optical Earth-observing constellation which will not only be able to provide in-orbit debris observation but will prevent the need of launching new payload, contributing to a circular space economy. This feasibility study focuses on recycling Cosmo-SkyMed for the observation of a debris field contained within the most spatially dense area of LEO. The constellation’s observation access time of the debris field shall be compared to that of ESA’s OGS and TIRA stations.
The results show that in-orbit observations lead to six times longer observation access periods in a 60° window around the constellation’s RAAN. Recycling an optical Earth-observing constellation requires trade-offs due to focal length limitations, but results point towards the recycling of radar equipped satellites providing a clear observation access advantage over ground-based observations.Speaker: Benjamin Negre (Cranfield University) -
18:55
DEDRA: A Modular In-situ Detector for Monitoring Sub-millimetric Space Debris 20m
The rapid increase in satellite numbers has heightened the risk of direct collisions and led to the accumulation of dust-sized debris in orbit due to fragmentation events and the gradual degradation of spacecraft surfaces. Accurately characterizing these particles is essential for validating space debris models like ESA’s MASTER and NASA’s ORDEM, which provide reliable predictions for Life Cycle Assessments and collision risk analyses in compliance with the new ESA Space Debris Mitigation Requirements. While larger objects (>10 cm) can be detected using ground-based observations, detecting smaller particles is more challenging. These particles must be detected either in situ or by examining space-exposed surfaces returned from orbit. Although past validation of debris models relied on such surfaces, they only recorded impacts from 1984 to 2002 and covered a limited range of altitudes and inclinations. In-situ detection methods have not been widely implemented yet, but missions like DEBIE and APID/ADLER have demonstrated the feasibility of such sensors.
This study presents the discrepancies within different models in the submillimetric realm and the anticipated detection rate of a 1U demonstrator for the DEbris Density and Retrieval Analysis (DEDRA) sub-millimetric space debris and micrometeoroid sensor. New simulations account for the sensor's performance and the latest debris models. DEDRA builds on the success of impact-ionization detectors like the Munich Dust Counter and Mars Dust Counter. The mission aims to demonstrate the detection and characterization of particle speed and mass in low Earth orbit (LEO), with enhanced consideration of critical noise phenomena observed in earlier sensors. The 1U technology demonstrator will serve as a foundational step for future missions, potentially incorporating multiple units to increase detection rates or deploying detectors across multiple missions for broader temporal and spatial coverage, enabling continuous monitoring of the effects of sustainability measures on the debris environment.
Speaker: Kevin Bongers (Technical University of Munich) -
18:55
Trajectory Optimization for Active Debris Removal: a Transformer-based Reinforcement Learning Approach 20m
One of the main challenges that satellites face is the progressive accumulation of debris in LEO. Hence, the necessity to develop new strategies for debris removal, as well as for servicing and refuelling existing satellites to increase their lifespan.
This article proposes an implementation of a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) framework to optimize the path of a chaser satellite, tasked with retrieving space debris or servicing other spacecrafts. The experiments have been conducted in a simulated environment and in the presence of multiple space debris.
The proposed approach addresses imperfect environmental modelling and measurements by using a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP). It replaces hidden state information with a belief function derived from the observation history, which is processed by a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) to create a fixed-length sequence. This sequence is then weighted by a Transformer encoder to capture the non-linear dynamics of the signals. The resulting semantic history is used by an agent employing Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), an online direct policy estimation method. PPO relies on two neural networks: a critic for value estimation and an actor for policy evaluation, implemented as either Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) or 1D-Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to leverage temporal information.
The model considers the motion of the satellite and debris in LEO, under J2 and atmospheric drag effects. The reward function has been designed to achieve rendezvous with the debris, minimum fuel consumption and manoeuvre duration, and optimal relative velocity.
Case studies, making use of available debris tracking data, are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of Transformer-based DRL in improving the precision, efficiency, and safety of ADR and IOS missions. The article concludes with a discussion on the future potential of DRL in advancing autonomous space operations and ensuring long-term space sustainability.Speakers: Mr Federico Delrio (Politecnico di Torino), Paolo Cirrincione Pazé -
19:15
CAREER - Design of an Educational Docking Testbed 20m
CAREER is an educational program funded by DLR aimed at student-led research of RVD maneuvers using a robotic test environment. This project consists of two robotic arms (UR10e) that simulate the relative movement and contact dynamics of two satellites.
The satellites are represented by two EndEffectors, one of which being a passive “Target” while the other is an active “Chaser” satellite. The Target is usually designated as a satellite that requires maintenance or assistance in de-orbiting to comply with regulations.
Two types of docking interfaces are implemented: A pair of iSSI interfaces made by the company iBOSS representing a multipurpose interface that enables mechanical, electrical, and data connection, and a Gecko interface that features a damping mechanism ensuring uniform attachment to areas such as solar panels.
Due to the size of both docking interfaces, outer dimensions of at least 4U had to be chosen for the EndEffectors.
The integration of the interfaces into a satellite-like structure is the central objective in the design of the EndEffectors. To lead contact forces directly into the robotic arm and save weight, these are mounted to an aluminum Backplate at each robotic arm’s end. All other panels are made from 3D-printed PLA and host the small navigation sensors.
The challenge in designing the assembly was the trade-off between the accommodation of the interfaces and sensors and setting the EndEffector’s dimensions so that it does neither limit the robotic arm’s freedom of movement nor deviate substantially from a typical form factor. In addition, the two different docking interfaces require the capability to be swiftly interchanged for different RVD scenarios.
The created design satisfies all the main requirements, though it does slightly narrow the number of different poses the robotic arm can reach. This enables students to work on and research GNC-algorithms.Speakers: Nima Lucius Mirrafati (Technische Universität Berlin), Talin Aswad (Technical University of Berlin) -
19:15
Enhancing validation of Vision Based Navigation algorithms through Data Augmentation 20m
In-Orbit Servicing and debris removal are two of the most important emerging sectors of the space industry. The ever-increasing amount of space debris necessitates the development of debris removal, servicing, and life extension capabilities. These capabilities rely heavily on novel Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) technologies, notably Vision Based Navigation (VBN) using visual and depth sensors such as cameras or LIDAR to approach a target. VBN employs a variety of Image Processing (IP) algorithms such as Feature Tracking and Model Matching.
The high reliability requirements of space missions call for intensive testing and validation of these algorithms. This can be best achieved by testing the algorithms in real scenarios close to the final use case, which is impossible before launch. Thus, projects often rely on artificial data to test their IP algorithms, both rendered synthetically and collected in a laboratory.
The first approach consists of rendering the images a sensor would produce of the target and environment using physically and radiometrically accurate models. Multiple problems are associated with this approach. Firstly, even slightest deviations in chosen parameters between the simulation and reality can lead to high losses in representativeness. Secondly, running these rendered environments repeatedly is extremely computationally intensive and thus time consuming.
The laboratory approach consists in taking images of a physical mock-up of the target with a real visual sensor in a specialised facility. This approach allows to use the flight sensor and thus produce more representative data.
This comes at the expense of a high effort associated with making a realistic mock-up and recreating the illumination conditions. Additionally, this approach suffers from a highly time-consuming image acquisition process, thus yielding a limited amount of data.
This project is exploring an innovative solution to augment a sensor dataset by employing the images in the dataset itself. This data-driven solution involves performing image transformations of the existing data to yield additional points of view not contained in the original dataset. This has the potential to allow a user to perform a single open-loop image rendering or acquisition campaign, and then run closed-loop tests completely digitally. Thus, vastly enhancing the usability of any existing dataset. We present the principles behind this approach, evaluate its capabilities of representing a new point of view and compare the results with synthetic data.Speaker: Marius Neuhalfen (European Space Agency) -
19:15
EPFL’s Handbook on sustainable practices for spacecraft mission design 20m
The broad topic of space sustainability is increasingly being discussed within the space sector, especially in Europe, in part thanks to regulations on sustainability reporting and the upcoming European Space Law. Nevertheless, companies nowadays have a tendency to put the emphasis on a single particular chosen aspect of sustainability (e.g. environmental impacts, dark and quiet skies considerations, space debris limitation) over others during their design phase. A lack of global knowledge is often given as an explanation for this cherry-picking, particularly within small to medium companies with human limited resources.
To fill this knowledge and resource gap, eSpace - EPFL Space Center developed a first version of its Handbook on Sustainable Mission Design, which is further detailed in this presentation. Publicly available , the handbook provides a holistic view on the major aspects to take into account when designing the space segment of a new mission: from Life Cycle Assessment considerations to general ecodesign concepts and specific propulsion, hardware and operations best practices. It highlights concisely which aspects ought to be assessed during the design phase and how they affect the rest of the space mission. The handbook is aimed at engineers, as well as managers who may not have a complete overview on all the best practices that should be followed.
This presentation aims to give an overview on the contents of the handbook and on how it could be used , as well as opening up discussions on suggestions for additional topics and improvements. Furthermore, it provides an overview of ongoing initiatives and technologies within the space sector and at EPFL, aiding future sustainable design practices that will gradually be integrated to the handbook’s updates.
Speaker: Marnix Verkammen -
19:15
Optimization of GEO Satellites On-Orbit Refuelling for Sustainable Space Logistics 20m
Within the last two decades, the number of objects in Earth orbits increased from around 7500 to more than 30000 in 2023. The current satellites heavily rely on one-time use. To prevent further congestion of crucial orbits, more sustainable practices for space use are imperative. Refuelling satellites in orbit extends their lifespan and reduces debris accumulation by decreasing the number of defunct satellites from fuel depletion. GEO satellites, allocating about 50% of their mass to propellant, are prime candidates for On-Orbit Refuelling (OOR) due to their durability, limited slots, and high investment, offering potential cost savings and increased utility.
This on-going project aims to design an OOR infrastructure tailored to service GEO satellites close to their End-of-Life (EOL) expecting depletion of onboard reserves. The infrastructure consists of a fuel depot and servicing spacecrafts for in-space propellant transport. For a given set of GEO clients, selected launcher, servicer and depot design, the work optimizes the OOR scenario. It suggests various mission architectures with different fuel depot locations and numbers of servicers.
The OOR design is the outcome of an iterative design procedure. Deployment, and operation of the servicing architecture are simulated. Trajectories of servicers to rendezvous with clients are the result of a cost($\Delta v$)-duration trade-off. The logistics optimization problem is formulated as a Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP), and a tailored genetic algorithm minimizes mission cost or duration for routing decisions.
The developed procedure allows to evaluate OOR mission infrastructures for feasibility and performance for variable client satellites and mission constraints, enabling comparison of various infrastructures to guide preliminary system of systems design. It could assist in establishing a sustainable European logistics ecosystem for long-term servicing strategies through combining multiple refuelling missions and expansion to other servicing tasks.
Speaker: Hannah Besser (RWTH Aachen, EPFL)
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EcoDesign: Launchers and Atmospheric Effects Auditorium (Erasmus)
Auditorium
Erasmus
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09:30
Screening life cycle assessment of families of future reusable launchers for early-stage ecodesign considerations in the VOLARE project 20m
In the past decade, the booming of new space economy led to the urgent need for Europe to increase the competitiveness and resilience of the European space transportation services on the worldwide market. In this context, ESA has initiated the elaboration of a technical vision for the future of space transportation in Europe: Vision 2030+. Climate change is one of the most pressing issue humanity has to address and it is taken into account in Vision 2030+ with the backbone value “environmental sustainability”.
ArianeGroup is part of this vision through its project “Visionary Offer for an European family of LAuncher base on common building block and REusability” (VOLARE), in collaboration with the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, to jointly conduct the environmental study. The VOLARE feasibility study aims to consolidate a future European family of reusable launch systems encompassing human space transportation capability, and the associated set of common building blocks preparing this future family. An eco-design approach using a screening Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was performed to propose solutions, which minimize the environmental impacts.
Two families of launchers are compared, they differ mainly by the choice of propellant: a full methane family and a hybrid family with methane and hydrogen. In each family, four classes of launchers are proposed from the Small to the Super Heavy launcher. These families were built assuming that common building blocks are possible despite the large range of performances that they target. The launchers are fully reusable with the exception of the Super Heavy launcher, which is semi-reusable.
Two analysis tools were used to perform the environmental assessment: the first one is the SimaPro software, and the second one is the Assessment and Comparison Tool (ACT), developed by EPFL. The tools have similarities in most aspects enabling an LCA study, and complement each other in specific areas.Following the LCA standard iteratively, the first step in the environmental analysis was to define the functional unit, the scope of the study, the assumptions, and the impact indicators. Only the choice of some impact indicators differs between the two tools. The second step focused on modelling the systems, collecting data and information to create their inventories and assessing their expected impacts. The third step was the analysis and interpretation of the results. The latter included a projection on the future in terms of consumption and production of propellants, in order to determine which technological solution was the least impactful.
The presentation at the CleanSpace Industry Days 2024 will include a description of the design process, how screening LCA was used to integrate environmental considerations in the VOLARE projects, a summary of the main results and expected environmental hotspots at system level, and recommendations to improve and facilitate these kind of early-stage studies.
Speakers: Blandine Quelennec, Mr Mathieu Udriot (EPFL Space Center) -
09:50
Overview of DLR Initiative S3D: Space Sustainability and Sustainable Development 20m
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has launched the S3D initiative, aimed at advancing the assessment and enhancement of sustainability in space activities. While recent years have seen growing attention to the environmental impacts of spacecraft and launch vehicles, S3D seeks to broaden this focus by integrating economic and social dimensions, transitioning from traditional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to a more comprehensive Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). A practice that is already established in other industries.
In addition to developing an LCSA process tailored for space activities, this initiative places particular emphasis on the impact of launch vehicle emissions in the upper atmosphere. This focus is driven by significant knowledge gaps and the potential for these emissions to be a major contributor to the climate impact of space transport activities. Substantial uncertainties remain with regard to the exact chemical composition of the exhaust, the post-combustion processes within the plume as well as the formation of particles such as black carbon. Moreover, there is a critical lack of data on the atmospheric effects of these gas and particle emissions at higher altitudes. To address these challenges, S3D will leverage the expertise of specialized DLR institutes in space systems, aerothermodynamics, propulsion, and atmospheric sciences to better characterize launch emissions and their atmospheric impacts.
This presentation will introduce the S3D initiative, highlight the methodological approaches being developed, and showcase initial findings on the exhaust profiles of various launch vehicle designs. These preliminary results will provide a basis for comparing different fuel and engine cycle choices in terms of their environmental impact, paving the way for more sustainable space activities.Speaker: Mr Moritz Herberhold (DLR) -
10:10
Bringing science, industry and agencies together - the workshops on life cycle assessment of space transportation systems at the University of Stuttgart 20m
Workshops on the life cycle analysis of space transportation systems have been held at the University of Stuttgart over the past three years. The workshops offered experts from science, industry and agencies the opportunity to exchange ideas, identify knowledge gaps and develop possible courses of action. The presentation is intended to summarize the results of the workshop and make them accessible to the audience. In particular, the recommendations for action should be in the foreground. The areas of “LCA and Ecodesign”, “Operational Impact” and “Disposal Impact” will be examined in more detail in order to address the gaps in methodology, launch and re-entry impact assessment and reuse. The ideas will be discussed together with the audience.
Speaker: Jan-Steffen Fischer (University of Stuttgart, Institute of Space Systems) -
10:30
Design4Demise under the scope: how reliable is the current state of knowledge claiming direct links between burning up satellites in the atmosphere on re-entry - and increased ozone depletion? (working title) 20m
Background: Post-mission disposal is the final phase in the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a spacecraft and is the yardstick used to evaluate the environmental impacts of disposal options on human health and the environment.
To date, the leading negative environmental impact identified (in the re-entry phase) is danger to human populations from surviving debris reaching the Earth’s surface. To minimise risk, regulations have been imposed on spacecraft to prove that the design process and re-entry plan hold a causality risk of less than 1 in 10,000. This requirement underpins the Design for Demise (D4D) philosophy that aims to limit the mass and size of debris falling back on Earth by designing spacecrafts that will burn up effectively during re-entry. D4D focuses on the difficult challenge of building a spacecraft that can both function and is demisable. But it does not study the environmental impact on the upper atmosphere from the particles and gases released during re-entry and burn up.Discussions on this topic have been slow to begin as the space sector has viewed the problem to be trivial – supported by theoretical atmospheric modelling research – although ESA acknowledges that a lack of empirical research to inform the models makes the findings too uncertain to draw firm conclusions. Recently, metals from spacecraft were found in the upper atmosphere by climate scientists, that has fuelled debate on the magnitude of the problem. But D4D has benefits for managing space debris and argument are still in play on why studying the impact of atmospheric ablation on the upper atmosphere is neither a priority nor a good use of limited resources.
Focus: In this talk we outline the current state of knowledge on this complex topic – knowns, unknowns. unknown unknowns - based on an ongoing in-depth review of the complex phenomenon (funded by the UK space agency). Recently, in response to increasing concern over the potential impact of D4D on the upper atmosphere, a flurry of papers, newspaper articles, and social media blogs have appeared, many claiming a direct link between D4D and ozone depletion. But how rigorous and reliable is this body of knowledge?
Speakers: Daniel Cziczo (Purdue University), Dr Fionagh Thomson (Durham university)
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IOS: Strategy of Circular Economy with CM25 Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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09:30
Enabling a Space Circular Economy by 2050 20m
Enabling a Space Circular Economy by 2050
Speaker: Mr Antonio Caiazzo (ESA)
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Zero Debris: Design for Removal Highbay (Erasmus)
Highbay
Erasmus
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09:30
Design for Removal: Astroscale’s Service Provider Perspective 20m
Working towards a sustainable future in space requires a multifaceted approach. To realise ESA’s Zero Debris goals, we need to develop compliant spacecraft platforms and demonstrate removal services in parallel. While improving the ability of satellites to remove themselves from orbit is still a key pillar of these efforts, there is a growing need to develop services and technologies to remove objects which failed to do so themselves. Design for removal is the first critical step to ensuring we can rendezvous and dock safely with future satellites.
At Astroscale, we have a customer-centric approach to developing End-of-Life (EOL) and Active Debris Removal (ADR) services. This presentation will focus on highlighting the value proposition in preparing satellites and will emphasise the benefits of several novel removal interfaces from a service provider perspective, including our own docking plate. Equipping spacecraft with affordable, low-impact interfaces with have a significant influence on the overall cost of the service and the types of services available to the client. To ensure removal services are widely adopted, we need the coordination of several stakeholders, and are co-engineering solutions with partners and customers. This includes efforts to keep our designs mission agnostic and designing our services to be compatible with a range of interfaces. For example, as part of the ELSA-M in-orbit demonstration, we will be docking magnetically to a non-Astroscale docking plate.
In the recently published ESA Space Debris Mitigation Requirements (2023), design for removal implementations and associated analyses are now requested within the Space Debris Mitigation Plan and there is a chapter dedicated to how to prepare your satellite for external servicing. The aspirational Zero Debris Charter (2024) encourages the use of external means, when necessary, for the timely clearance of orbits. Other organisations such as CONFERS, the World Economic Forum, and the Secure World Foundation, have all published recommendations which calls for the continued support of ADR services and encourage the implementation of removal interfaces.
With the recognition that mitigation actions alone are not enough to guarantee a sustainable future, there has been a positive trend towards incorporating design for removal. If we can capitalise on this momentum, we not only improve debris remediation, but have a solid foundation for future in-orbit services.
Speaker: Zoe Tenacci -
09:50
MICE-LITE: Reducing mass of the Mechanical Interface for Capturing at End-of-Life to facilitate its integration with small satellites 20m
MICE (Mechanical Interface for Capturing at End-of-Life) is a single-part passive grapple fixture designed for enabling the capture and de-orbiting of satellites at their End-of-Life or in a premature malfunction by a Servicing Spacecraft in case the satellites cannot deorbit by themselves.
The latest version of MICE was the Qualification Model (MICE-Q) developed and qualified in 2023 for the Copernicus Sentinel Expansions missions. Due to the nature of these big satellites and the associated mission constraints, MICE-Q is made of stainless steel 15-5PH H1025 for surviving the high structural and thermal loads and the long lifetime missions.
In April 2024, a feasibility study to design a MICE version for small satellites started by the consortium composed by GMV and AVS, with the main goal of reducing the mass respect previous MICE-Q design, but keeping the main geometrical features in order to enable the compatibility with the existing active interface.
A trade-off analysis has been performed with four geometry alternatives and each geometry analysed with three candidate materials: 15-5PH H1025, Al7075 T73 and Ti6Al4V. The criteria for choosing a baseline design have been : Manufacturability, Compatibility to active side, Thermo-structural performance, Demisability, Capture functionality, and Electrical continuity.
As a result of the trade-off, a baseline design made of Ti6Al4V has been chosen, with a total mass of 0.304 kg, an overall mass reduction of 0.417 kg compared with MICEQ mass of 0.721 kg.
The proposed design for MICE-LITE optimises the interface geometry and material while keeping all driving characteristics of the original MICE-Q and requiring minor modifications on the active capture mechanism. The significant reduction in mass will place MICE-LITE in a position to potentially equip a much larger number of satellites that could then be eventually captured and deorbited at their End of Life.Speaker: Mr Leonardo Valencia Restrepo (AVS Next) -
10:10
Navigation Markers Development 20m
The qualification of "2D" and "3D" navigation markers against HPCM environmental requirements was successfully completed by the end of 2023. Following this achievement, the industrialization phase has commenced, with ADM producing four sets of markers for the CRISTAL and LSTM HPCM missions. These markers, comprising one 3D marker and 20 2D markers per set, will be installed on the PFM and FM2 models of the respective satellites. This phase is scheduled for completion by the end of 2024, with additional production anticipated for the CO2M and CHIME missions. ADM has effectively addressed the challenges associated with serial production of these markers.
Further advancements are underway with the development of 2D markers featuring a "glow-in-the-dark" capability, as part of the Phosphorescent Markers to Support Navigation (PHM) project. These markers, utilizing phosphorescent paint, can emit visible light during the eclipse phase of a typical low Earth orbit after being charged by sunlight. This innovative solution has the potential to enhance navigation support during eclipse periods. Currently, no space-qualified phosphorescent paints are available on the market, but ADM's ongoing development shows promising results.
Additionally, the second generation of markers is foreseen to be developed. This would include eliminating the unwanted reflections of the “white” areas, application of inorganic coating on black areas for better durability on ground and in space environments and development of the corner cube retroreflector fixation and examination of COTS CCRs from different suppliers in terms of the optical properties.Speaker: Mr Laszlo Szegedi (Admatis) -
10:30
ADM Test Facility Development 20m
ADM is planning to establish an ESA-recognized GNC test facility at its premises. The facility would use up the remarkable floor space and internal height of the ADM new project building. The design of this facility will be developed with input from Hungarian and European GNC experts, aiming to meet the needs of the European space industry and to complement existing testing capabilities. Key features of the facility will include controllable thermal environments and long-range testing capabilities. The feasibility study is already in progress, starting with a state-of-the-art review and gap analysis, and will continue with development strategies, international testing requirements, and preliminary definition of requirements.
Speaker: Mr Laszlo Szegedi (Admatis)
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IOS: Circular Economy Activities Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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10:00
Recycling Space Plant 5m
Mr Come BERGER, from the Future Satellites Systems Department of the Observation and Science Domain of Thales Alenia Space in France will present the concept and mission of an orbital Recycling Space Plant involving a solar furnace for material melting, being studied in the frame of the selected mission proposed during the ESA “System Studies for the Circular Economy in Space” Campaign.
Indeed Thales Alenia Space will work on two complementary topics in this study:
•The main one, aiming to propose a preliminary design for a Recycling Space Plant. The idea here and core activity is to define and propose a design and concept of operations for a Recycling Space Plant involving a solar furnace for materials melting.
•The identification of the materials and methods for on-orbit recycling as well as the impacts on the spacecraft designed for recyclability. The idea and core activity here is to explore the ways to enable Design For Circularity initiative from the materials selection and satellite design point of view in order to feed a comprehensive orbital recycling capability.
Thales Alenia Sapce team has been working on large space infrastructures and on orbit manufacturing, assembly and recycling for several ESA, EC and CNES studies. It will be supported by PROMES Laboratory of CNRS, which will bring its expertise in solar furnaces design and use for research on materials and space applications.
Speaker: Come BERGER -
10:05
Managed Recycling Orbit operated as a Multi-Agent System 20m
Abstract:
The "Managed Recycling Orbit operated as a Multi-Agent System" introduces a groundbreaking approach to space debris management. This concept is built on three foundational pillars:
1. Dedicated Orbital Zone: A designated orbit serves as a central hub for aggregating, processing, and recycling space debris, transforming defunct satellites and rocket bodies into cooperative objects prepared for manipulation and recycling, laying the groundwork for in-orbit resource utilization.
2. Managed Constellation: This pillar envisions a dynamic, adaptive constellation of defunct space objects and managing platforms, repurposing these objects as both materials and modular platforms to create a self-sustaining ecosystem. It alleviates the threat posed by debris while introducing a novel infrastructure for future space missions and construction projects, showcasing innovation in addressing environmental challenges.
3. Multi-Agent Cooperative Systems: Advanced multi-agent systems ensure efficient and autonomous debris management and recycling, facilitating services like repositioning, sorting, and processing debris into reusable objects. Through AI and machine learning, these agents orchestrate the transition from debris to resource, embodying efficiency, collaboration, and technological advancement. The mission establishes the pioneering role of the Junkyard Operator, offering innovative services such as debris repositioning, liability transfer, and hosting recycling demonstrations, paving the way for a sustainable future in space exploration.
The consortium of Space scAvengers, Telespazio, and VZLU is currently focused on the initial recycling use case for the MRO-MAS combination, demonstrating how this approach can effectively transform space debris into reusable resources.Speaker: Marek Gebura (Space scAvengers) -
10:25
Towards a Circular Space Economy: Satellite Refurbishment and Upgrading Services 20m
ESA has noted that “a market for in-orbit activities – servicing, rendezvous, assembly, refurbish, manufacturing, and recycling – is both expected and desirable", echoing the sentiment across the sector. The concept of a circular space economy is no longer a blue-sky idea, but the eventual goal of our In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) efforts. Astroscale sees refurbishment and upgrading as a promising next step towards an on-orbit economy, with aspects of these services underpinning future in-orbit servicing goals, such as manufacturing and recycling.
As part of ESA’s Systems Studies for a Circular Economy in Space, Astroscale are partnering with In-Space Missions to develop an In-orbit Refurbishment and Upgrading Service (IRUS), and further strengthen the business case with DHV Technology. The servicer will be a variant of COSMIC, Astroscale’s UK Active Debris Removal (ADR) solution, and the initial client will be an upgradable In-Space Missions vehicle. The mission will develop capabilities to refurbish and upgrade satellites, moving away from the current single-use culture in space. Rather than de-orbiting non-functional satellites and replacing them with new ones, these services lead to a more sustainable future by maximising the use of in-orbit assets.
Today’s presentation will focus on highlighting the key goals of the study: assessing the technological and commercial feasibility of a refurbishment and/or upgrading service. The technical and business aspects of the project will be developed in parallel, with end customers involved in the process from the start, ensuring a commercially viable and competitive service offering, and providing solutions that can be widely adopted. Emphasis is placed on maximising the future market potential and supporting benefits to the wider circular economy, which is done through the standardisation of interfaces and an agnostic approach to key enabling technologies.
IRUS aims to develop a servicer and serviceable client, keeping business development at the core, and working within the wider context of standardised solutions and next steps towards a circular space economy.
Speaker: Dr Adrian Dumitrescu (University of Southampton)
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Coffee Break 30m
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EcoDesign: Greener Concepts Auditorium (Erasmus)
Auditorium
Erasmus
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11:30
Towards Greener Propulsion: A Life Cycle Analysis of Liquid In-Space Propulsion Systems 20m
As space activities expand, it becomes increasingly important to assess and mitigate its environmental impact. This study focuses on the environmental impact of in-space propulsion systems, specifically examining the ground-phase life cycle from propellant production to integration into the launcher (cradle-to-gate). Four liquid bipropellant systems representing current trends and future directions are analyzed: MON-3/MMH, 98%-HTP/RP-1, 98%-HTP/Ethanol, and N2O/Ethane. The life cycle analysis identified significant environmental impact hotspots, particularly during the production phase of MMH, due to its energy-intensive distillation and specialized manufacturing processes. MON-3/MMH systems exhibit the highest overall environmental impact up to the propellant loading phase, driven by stringent fueling and decontamination requirements. The study also evaluates the system-wide environmental impact, considering both the propulsion system components and their performance in specific mission scenarios. Despite its specific impulse advantage, the MON-3/MMH combination emerges as the most environmentally impactful at system level, while N2O/Ethane is the least impactful. Interestingly, if only Global Warming Potential were considered, N2O/Ethane would rank second due to the ozone impact of N2O gas. This highlights the importance of a global life cycle assessment, summarizing environmental impacts into a single score that reflects the mission's objectives and priorities. Additionally, the study highlights that tank production, especially when using titanium, is a significant environmental hotspot in dry propulsion architectures. Even in wet architectures, which include the propellants in the analysis, tank production remains the primary contributor to environmental impact, accounting for over two-thirds of the total footprint.
Speaker: Lily Blondel-Canepari (Università di Pisa) -
11:50
Cost and carbon footprint preliminary assessment of a fossil-fuel-free launch vehicle 20m
The production of propellant is a major contributor to the carbon footprint of a space launch, while recent research indicates the environmental impact of fuel combustion during launches could be more significant than previously thought. Fossil-fuel-free propellants are emerging as promising alternatives with potentially lower environmental impact and cost, including green-hydrogen, which might be among the least environmentally impactful propellants along the fuel life cycle (production and launch event).
This presentation investigates the potential advantages of a heavy space launcher powered entirely by green-hydrogen, comparing it to a generic fossil-fuelled launcher with equivalent performance. The study provides a high-level assessment of the carbon footprint and cost implications throughout the manufacturing, assembly, and launch steps. The analysis also estimates the cost performance of green-hydrogen against other possible fossil-fuel-free launch vehicle propellants.Speakers: Javier Serrano Gómez, Andrea Polomini, Cristina De Persis -
12:10
Orbit Eco-design: Pioneering More Sustainable Space Missions with Greener Orbits 20m
Addressing Digital Pollution: Strategic Sustainability in the Modern Space Economy
In today's interconnected digital landscape, our constant engagement with the digital sphere has led to a surge in digital pollution. As consumers increasingly grasp the environmental implications of their digital activities, a new awareness is emerging. The burgeoning space economy, evolving towards a commodity-style market, intensifies the need for standardized tools. Amid this dynamic landscape, there is a pressing demand for solutions that facilitate strategic decision-making from both an environmental and economic standpoint. New Horizon (https://newhorizonsrl.com/) emerges as a response to this demand, providing a unique and essential tool for navigating the complexities of sustainability and cost efficiency in the burgeoning space industry.
Space-related activities, such as Earth observation, contribute to environmental impacts. As reliance on space technologies grows, sustainable practices must balance digital connectivity with environmental responsibility. Space sustainability includes addressing space debris, reducing launch costs, and improving spacecraft efficiency. The European Union is drafting regulations to integrate eco-design and responsible space activity management, aiming to certify companies adhering to sustainability standards with an EU Space Label.
LCA, LCC and Digital Twin of Data Transmission through orbit eco-design
Two key methodologies in our proposal are Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC). LCA evaluates the environmental impacts of products, activities, or processes across their entire life cycle, from production to disposal. LCC, similarly, calculates the total costs incurred throughout a product's life cycle. These methodologies enable the identification of optimal solutions from both environmental and economic perspectives. A Digital Twin in our software represents a virtual model of a real-world system, focusing on sustainability and economic aspects. This model is updated in real-time with data from the physical system, enabling comprehensive analysis and evaluation. Specifically, in data transmission, the digital twin assesses the environmental and economic sustainability, simulating various scenarios to optimize energy consumption, resource use, and associated costs. This aligns with the increasing emphasis on sustainable practices in the digital era.
Orbit Ecodesign: An approach to the design and management of space missions that emphasizes the selection of optimal orbits to enhance environmental sustainability. Central to this approach is the real-time analysis of the immediate environmental impact of the space mission, allowing for the simulation of various potential trajectories or orbits. This enables the selection of the most sustainable option, considering the risk of potential collisions with debris, which could shorten the satellite’s lifespan, fuel consumption, and interactions with unpredictable natural phenomena (such as solar storms) identified through specific telemetry patterns rather than predictable equations. By selecting more sustainable orbits, Orbit Ecodesign aims to ensure the long-term usability of space environments, prevent the proliferation of space debris, and improve the safety and cleanliness of space.SustainSat: Our Solution
Our platform, SustainSat, leverages Digital Twins to provide a holistic view integrating environmental and economic considerations. Despite the prevalence of eco-design tools in other sectors, none specifically address the unique challenges of the space industry. Our goal is to integrate data from the entire lifecycle of space infrastructure, from design to deorbiting, using megabytes of data as the functional unit, tailored for satellite service providers.
Strategic Partnerships and Customization
We have strategic partnerships with key players in space sustainability, granting access to essential spatial data and leveraging the Strathclyde Space Systems Database (SSSD) for modeling. This database, provided by Professor Massimiliano Vasile from the University of Strathclyde, forms an excellent starting point for our modeling efforts. Customization for specific customer case studies is part of the development process. Our Decision Support System (DSS) and its AI engine are designed for versatile applications, including eco-design of orbits.
Products in Development
1. SustainSat CSM (Cost and Sustainability Monitor): This system centralizes and monitors data on costs and impacts.
2. SustainSat OPS (Optimization and Prediction System): This product uses AI to process data and provide improvement solutions in real-time, aiming to enhance Orbit Ecodesign by selecting the most sustainable trajectories.
3. Autonomous Satellite Guidance System: Our long-term goal is to develop a third product focused on minimizing environmental impact through autonomous satellite guidance, for which we have a patent application.
Current Development: SustainSat CSM and SustainSat OPS
SustainSat CSM consists of two modules. Module B, the system's engine, runs on a Linux cloud server, calculating real costs and impacts of space missions in real-time with updates every 5 seconds. It centralizes primary data in a database provided by Module A, installed in the company. The cloud software can connect with multiple systems, designed for flexibility and high cybersecurity, using the OPC-UA protocol to read data without entering the company's network.
The model follows a logical flow with five macro areas: Feasibility + Preliminary definition, Detailed definition + Qualification and production, Launch and commissioning, Utilization phase, and Disposal. Users will find a dashboard summarizing total costs and impacts, with capabilities to select and analyze specific areas independently or cumulatively over time. Reports can be generated for detailed analysis.
SustainSat OPS is being developed with AI for real-time analysis, aiming to support Orbit Ecodesign by providing solutions for selecting the most sustainable trajectories. The long-term objective is the development of an Autonomous Satellite Guidance System to choose the most sustainable trajectory autonomously, minimizing environmental impact.
By selecting more sustainable orbits and managing the environmental impact through real-time analysis and flexible data integration, Orbit Ecodesign aims to ensure the long-term usability of space environments, prevent the proliferation of space debris, and improve the safety and cleanliness of space.
Validation and Future Directions
We already have a first validator, Apogeo Space, supporting our initial implementations. Our platform aims to connect various information from space infrastructure efficiently, studying a data aggregation method for a global visualization of the system. This allows for effective and sensible intervention on the infrastructure, promoting both environmental sustainability and economic efficiency in the space industry. We are confident that we can present a first prototype at the Clean Space Industry Days if our proposal is accepted.Speakers: Dr Leonardo Tonin (New Horizon Srl), Dr Sasha Gallio (New Horizon Srl)
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IOS: Circular Economy Activities Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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LOOP Mission : Preparing the foundations of a circular on-orbit economy through refurbishment 20m
The LOOP mission, led by Growbotics in collaboration with a consortium, is being developed to demonstrate the viability of a circular economy in space, specifically targeting the refurbishment of a satellite in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO).
By showcasing the commercial case for satellite refurbishment and the potential for a circular in-orbit economy, the LOOP mission represents a crucial stepping stone towards sustainable space operations and away from single-use satellite architectures.
This talk will present the mission, highlighting how refurbishing and upgrading existing satellite infrastructure can unlock new commercial opportunities while promoting circular practices in space. Attendees will gain insights into the innovative approaches being developed to extend the lifespan of satellites, optimize their design for refurbishment, and establish the necessary infrastructure to support these activities.
Speakers: Portia Bowman (Growbotics Space Ltd), Rob Brennan-Craddock (Growbotics Space Ltd) -
11:50
Rendezvous and Robotics in space : status and applications of the EROSS project 20m
The series of EU-funded projects EROSS (European Robotic Orbital Support Services) aims at developing and bringing to space European technologies enabling innovative operations in space, like autonomous robotics and rendezvous.
The project is coordinated by Thales Alenia Space in France, in a core team with GMV in Spain and DLR in Germany, and gathering in total 18 Partners from 9 European countries. It aims at leveraging on past developments and defining a mission that will exploit those technologies to propose a first European pioneering operational system.
The presentation will provide the mission schedule, and an overview of technical progress status on all fields under development, from Guidance, Navigation and Control to Robotics and Autonomy.
It will then present the typical concepts of operations that will be enabled by such capabilities (typically Inspection, station keeping, AOCS takeover, Refueling, Upgrade, In-Orbit Manufacturing and Assemby, Repair, etc...) and open up towards servicing and logistics applications.Speaker: Mr Michaël RANCUREL (Thales Alenia Space) -
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Recycling end-of-life equipment on the Moon: Towards the design of equipment and strategies 20m
The growing interest in lunar exploration necessitates new strategies for sustainable resource management, including the recycling of end-of-life (EOL) equipment. Recycling and reuse of such equipment will minimise long-term environmental impact and dependency on Earth- supplied resources. The effectiveness of the recycling process depends on the inherent complexity of the material and this process can be broadly classified into physical, thermal, and chemical processes. The initial step in the recycling process involves the breakdown of equipment to be recycled, and this can be accomplished physically using shredding or thermal methods. Here, this study takes a first look at possible recycling strategies, with a particular focus on the shredding step. However, stochastic nature of the shredding process introduces several challenges in optimisation, including inconsistent particle size distribution, higher energy consumption, and irregular equipment wear and tear. These issues result in fluctuations in material throughput and affect the further separation process efficiency. Therefore, this study investigates shredding process parameters of cutting and centrifugal mills using two different feedstocks: aluminium and space category cables, which are commonly used materials in space missions.
Moreover, based on the experiments and empirical model, this study highlights the challenges and guidelines to design the shredding process according to the unique lunar conditions, such as low gravity, extreme temperatures, and vacuum. Ultimately, this comprehensive analysis will be useful to the development of a robust shredding process essential for long-term lunar missions, ensuring sustainable and supporting the definition of the lunar circular economy.
Keywords: Circular Economy, End of Life management, In Situ Resource Utilization, Lunar Circular Economy, Recycling, SustainabilitySpeaker: Dr Trunal Patil (European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST))
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Zero Debris: ESA Presentation on Design for Removal Standardisation Highbay (Erasmus)
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EcoDesign: Taskforce Auditorium (Erasmus)
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IOS: Technologies for ADRIOS (GNC) Tennis Hall (Escape)
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V&V of Safe Close-Proximity Operations for Non-cooperative Targets 20m
This presentation addresses the challenge of requirement verification and validation for safe close-proximity operations around non-cooperative targets. The outcomes are elaborated in the areas of GNC and Mission Analysis: they have been demonstrated for ClearSpace-1 (CS-1), which was used as a reference mission for rendezvous, capture, and de-orbiting of an non-cooperative target, namely the VESPA payload adapter.
Several methods for Verification and Validation (V&V) are elaborated and applied, namely:
- V&V by design is described, to show how the Concept of Operations is defined to be compliant with the requirements, the trajectories are designed to be passively safe, and active safety strategies are incorporated, along with the definition of keep-out zones, corridors, and GO/NO GO criteria;
- V&V by analysis is adopted for functional chains such as the Navigation and Control, through the use of dedicated tools;
- V&V by test exploits the combination of a prototyping and a high-fidelity simulator, to perform extensive Model-In-the-Loop Monte-Carlo campaigns.The outcomes are intended to support the industry in the development and V&V of Active Debris Removal services. In particular, the proposed guidelines are a key contribution to the standardisation of close proximity operations for non-cooperative rendezvous missions, towards a sustainable and safe commercial application.
Speaker: José Vasconcelos (Deimos Engenharia) -
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Accurate and comprehensive space camera digital twin for improved IOS missions 20m
Whether they assist with space situational awareness, navigation, rendezvous or proximity operations, space-based optical sensors are key technologies for In-orbit servicing missions. Sodern’s versatile visible sensors, namely Auricam line-up and HiCAM, can meet these different IOS missions’ requirements among image quality, resolution or even signal-to-noise ratio.
Auricam is a cost-optimized compact (<140 mm) and lightweight (<500 g) high-resolution (4 Mpx) camera, derived from the AURIGA™ star tracker developed for new space applications, and available with a narrow (8 deg), medium (35 deg), or wide field of view (80 deg), with configurable aperture and focus. Designed with high reliability thanks to Sodern’s recognized heritage in space optronics, Auricam is equipped with a rad-hard lens assembly and ECSS level 1 EEE components, and capable of withstanding 7 years LEO and 15 years GEO environments. Auricam also offers a baffle for straylight protection and various in-head pre-processing, to enhance detection and inspection performances, as well as providing output frequency increase capabilities, to serve complex IOS missions.
On its side, HiCAM is a 1 Mpx high-performance camera designed specifically for detection and navigation purposes. It is composed of high-quality electronics derived from the NAC-ERO custom navigation camera developed for the ESA-funded Mars Sample Return (MSR) ERO mission. It has a 17 deg diagonal field of view lens assembly derived from flight-proven star trackers. Its advanced detector cooling system allows reaching high magnitudes for detection, making it ideal for missions requiring exceptional performances, in any terrestrial or interplanetary orbit.
IOS missions pose several challenges to optical sensors and space system designers: low signal-to-noise ratio or at the opposite detector saturations, motion blur, effect of radiations, temperature or straylight just to name a few. To help the users in choosing properly or tuning the right camera for their missions, or to assess their system performance well ahead the delivery of the camera hardware, Sodern develops a camera numerical model that accurately simulates the behaviour and the performances of both Auricam and HiCAM. This deliverable Digital Twin draws on Sodern in-house software developed for star tracker simulations, ATOS, during the last 20 years. It also benefits from the experience gained in developing high end cameras for ESA missions, namely the Navigation Camera for JUICE, and the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) for MSR ERO. Main characteristics of the numerical model will be presented, and how this accurate and comprehensive model can allow exploring use cases and predicting camera performances for improved IOS missions.
Speaker: Mr David Soulard (Sodern) -
14:40
Attitude Estimation of Inactive Resident Space Objects from Photometric Measurements Using Particle Filtering 20m
The exponential increase in satellite deployments into Earth’s orbits over the last decade has significantly augmented space environment congestion. This escalation in orbital traffic has simultaneously led to a marked increase in space debris, posing substantial risks to both operational satellites and future space missions. Consequently, addressing the mitigation of space debris has become a critical focus within the fields of Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) and Space Environment Preservation (SEP). In recent years, several initiatives have emerged to address the issue of space debris, such as Active Debris Removal (ADR) and In-Orbit Servicing (IOS), which aim to mitigate associated risks through targeted removal and maintenance operations in orbit. These activities require precise knowledge of satellite attitude to successfully plan and execute operations for safely approaching, capturing, and manipulating objects in space, thereby enhancing mission success and minimizing the risk of generating additional debris.
The objective of this work is to accurately estimate the attitude of passively rotating Resident Space Objects (RSOs) that could be targeted for debris mitigation measures. This entails addressing the light-curve inversion problem, where the attitude is inferred from photometric intensity measurements of the light reflected from the space object and detected by a ground-based optical sensor. The investigation is specifically centred on inactive space objects with known geometrical shapes. The light-curve inversion problem presents two significant challenges: its highly nonlinear measurement function and the intrinsic ambiguity in measurements, namely the potential existence of multiple attitude solutions for a given set of observations. To address these challenges, this study introduces an advanced attitude inversion method using a particle filter. The particle filter is an approximate Bayesian estimator that represents probability densities using a weighted set of samples (particles), enabling effective handling of multimodal probability density functions (PDFs). Therefore, the particle filter surpasses the limitations associated with other estimation methods, such as the Least Squares Method (LSM) and the Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF), which have already been comprehensively analysed by GMV. The resolution of the attitude inversion problem also requires a high-fidelity light-curve simulator. Photometric observations are simulated using GMV's Grial tool, an advanced high-fidelity simulator implemented in OpenGL that computes the contribution of reflected light from each illuminated and visible pixel on a 3D shape. It employs a Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) based on the actual optical parameters of the object and accounts for shading interactions between different parts of the object to ensure realistic simulations.
The presentation delves into the challenges posed by the light-curve inversion problem and explains the novel attitude inversion method based on particle filtering and the aforementioned light-curve simulation tool. The attitude of space objects with various geometries is estimated from both simulated and real light-curves to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed methodology in determining the true attitude of the space object. The analyses conducted thus far yield excellent results for simulated light-curves, while also demonstrating promising outcomes for real light-curves, thereby indicating the robustness and potential applicability of the method in practical operational scenarios. Various configurations of the particle filter, including sequential and pseudo-batch variants, are also investigated to highlight their advantages and limitations, as well as to evaluate their accuracy and computational performance. Finally, future work is outlined, focusing on further optimizing these methods to enhance their effectiveness across various operational scenarios.
Keywords: space debris removal, photometric measurements, space object characterisation, attitude estimation, particle filtering, light-curve simulation
Speaker: Jorge Rubio Anton (GMV / UC3M) -
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Testing Close-Proximity Operations for Inmarsat on GRALS facilities 20m
As part of its developments of technology for robust computer vision algorithms applied to Close Proximity Operations in the context of In Orbit Servicing, LMO has recently conducted two test campaigns in the GRALS laboratory at ESA to further validate the rendezvous strategy using a representative mockup of Inmarsat, and selected Chaser trajectories simulation. This talk will present details of the implementation, an overview of the results achieved and some lessons learnt.
Speaker: Mr David Regad (LMO)
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Zero Debris: Dark and Quiet Skies Highbay (Erasmus)
Highbay
Erasmus
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ESA Space Debris Mitigation Requirements and compliance verification guidelines for the protection of dark and quiet skies 15m
The ESA Space Debris Mitigation Policy was updated in October 2023 accounting for the new ESA Zero Debris Approach. The new ESA Space Debris Mitigation standard (ESSB-ST-U-007, which exceeds the previous standard ECSS-U-AS-10C Rev.2) specifies design and operational measures that a mission needs to adopt through its lifetime to prevent space debris release and proliferation, control system break-up risk, control collision risk, control system failure risk, improve orbital clearance, assure safe re-entry and minimise impact on astronomy.
The requirements for the protection of dark and quiet skies cover two main aspects. The first aspect deals with the limitation of optical and radio frequency interferences with ground and LEO astronomy. The second aspect is related to the data sharing (including orbital information covering current and planned orbit and attitude profiles, brightness, and antenna diagrams).
ESA Space Debris Mitigation guidelines are accompanied by a handbook. The handbook provides the guidelines on verification methods (e.g. prediction of brightness during mission design phase) and recommend mitigation measures in support to ESA missions to facilitate the compliance with the ESA Space Debris Mitigation requirements.
The presentation will give an overview on the requirements, compliance verification guidelines and recommended mitigation measures proposed in the ESA Space Debris Mitigation standard and associated handbook, to guarantee dark and quiet skies. new version will be aligned with the current space debris mitigation standard.Speaker: Beatriz Jilete -
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The IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Skies - achievements and ongoing work 15m
There is no doubt that we are experiencing an exponential increase on the number of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Large constellations of satellites like Starlink, OneWeb, Amazon Kuiper, G60 from Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), and many others are planning to provide low-latency and high speed connectivity to the whole world. They have already surpassed the rest of active satellites in LEO. Combining all proposals submitted to the International Telecommunication Union (UN agency in charge of regulating the use of radio frequencies and space orbits) results in a prediction of more than 500000 satellites in LEO by the end of 2030.
In addition to concerns of space debris, atmospheric pollution, and un-controlled re-entries, the sheer number of satellites will have a significant impact on astronomy if unmitigated. Sunlight reflected of satellite surfaces will impact on optical astronomy observations and could potentially change the view of the night sky as we currently know it. In the radio domain intentional and unintentional emissions will increase the potential for radio interference in very sensitive radio astronomy receivers, as not even radio quiet zones can escape from satellites.
The IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Skies from Satellite Constellation Interference (IAU CPS) aims to address the impacts on astronomy and to seek the preservation of the pristine night sky. The CPS is an international collaboration including professional astronomers, satellite owners and operators, amateur astronomers, space policy professionals and the general public working together to raise awareness on these problems and to find technical solutions possible to implement on both telescopes and satellite constellations.
This talk will briefly introduce the impact that large constellations have on astronomy and the night sky, followed by a description of the IAU CPS, its main areas of work, accomplishments and ongoing efforts. We will also overview the current status of the activities to protect D&QS at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
Speaker: Mike Peel (Imperial College London) -
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The IAU CPS SatHub: Updates on observation campaigns, services and software to mitigate satellite constellation interference 15m
SatHub is one of the four hubs of the IAU Centre for the protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (IAU CPS). SatHub focuses on observation campaigns, brightness data analysis and software curation to improve our understanding of the impact of satellite constellations on astronomy and observers worldwide. That includes online services hosted in concert with our contributing members that simplify satellite constellation mitigation in astronomical observation planning. In this contribution we will give a summary of services offered by SatHub and its members and discuss the current status of satellite constellation observation campaigns for several operators and across the electromagnetic spectrum. Online services such as SatChecker and the Satellite Constellation Observation REpository (SCORE) will be presented.
Speaker: Dr Mike Peel (Imperial College London) -
14:45
Mitigating the impact of light pollution from satellites: Strategies for Dark Sky Preservation 15m
The recent addition of large constellations of medium-sized satellites to LEO, and the near-term availability of new launch capabilities (e.g. SpaceX Starship) is indicative of a trend towards a greater number of larger-sized satellites that would be detrimental to dark-sky preservation efforts, and problematic for ground-based astronomy.
Light curve simulators, originally developed for the non-resolved characterization of space debris, are the ideal tools for improving our understanding of artificial light pollution from satellites and space debris, and exploring spacecraft design and operational strategies that mitigate these impacts.
In this talk we present Lumi-LBS, our tool capable of simulating full-spacecraft Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Functions (BSDFs), and suggest strategies for combating artificial light pollution that don’t compromise trackability. Additionally we present Blink, a satellite-aware shutter for astronomical observatories.Speaker: Mr Liam Pieters (Lumi Space) -
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Towards a Quiet Sky for Radio Quiet Zones 15m
The Square Kilometre Array Observatory has the two largest radio telescopes in the world under construction. Radio astronomy has long enjoyed statutory protection in the form of longstanding ITU radiofrequency spectrum allocation and the establishment of Radio Quiet Zones by national authorities. This latter protection works well for terrestrial conflicts, and allows modern radioastronomy to operate over a wide frequency range outside the ITU protected bands which date from a time when available technology limited observations to narrow parts of the spectrum. However the space segment cannot be so regulated at national level except by ground station licensing mechanisms (and within the filing country). The scale of LEO and MEO exploitation, particularly by constellations providing global connectivity, has broken the RQZ model and radio astronomy is therefore under threat. This contribution focusses on the case for protecting RQZs from space and progress made in industry, the astronomical community and regulators.
Speaker: Mr Harry Qiu (SKAO)
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Coffee Break 30m
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EcoDesign: Taskforce Auditorium (Erasmus)
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IOS: Guidelines, Policy and Market for ADRIOS Tennis Hall (Escape)
Tennis Hall
Escape
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The Co-Dependent Nature of Policy, Mission Design, and Commercialisation 20m
Astroscale has three pillars to achieve the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations: business case, policy, and technology. In working towards a sustainable future, we need to ensure all three of these areas are addressed and understand the impacts changes to one has on the other. This presentation will summarise the recent global efforts made towards sustainable practices, both from a regulatory and private actor perspective, and will focus on the impact that key guidelines and requirements will have on future commercial missions.
Great strides have been taken globally towards improving sustainability in space and safeguarding our future. ESA’s Zero Debris approach resulted in a comprehensive set of Space Debris Mitigation Requirements and facilitated the creation of the ambitious Zero Debris Charter. The Space Debris Mitigation Requirements will apply to all future ESA missions and includes novel concepts, such as design for removal. The Zero Debris Charter, drafted by key actors in the space sector, highlights what the community want to work towards by 2030. While the general movement towards incentivising sustainable practices is positive, it is important to review this new guidance through a commercial lens and ensure we are not restricting innovative or novel missions, which are often accompanied by a higher risk factor.
The UK Government has also called for a regulatory sandbox in their Space Industrial Plan (2024) to develop the UK’s core competencies in licencing complex, close-proximity operation missions, and to help shape global design standards and regulations. As part of this presentation, we will share how industry and regulatory bodies in the UK have been working closely together, and the positive impact this has on resulting guidance and processes.
Speakers: Vinicius Aloia (Astroscale Ltd), Ms Zaria Serfontein (Astroscale) -
16:20
SAVOIR FDIR handbook: update for CPO like 1 20m
FDIR and system engineering are transversal disciplines that complement each other. System engineering aims to develop a system with the purpose of behaving in a way that achieves mission objectives and system requirements, while FDIR engineering aims to cover the unwanted behavior which may prevent the system to achieve its goals. FDIR engineering is a viewpoint of system architecture and follows similar processes and schedule. Adequate health management can be complex to handle, requiring a specific mindset, especially when addressing concerns or conditions that vary significantly depending on mission. After several years of use, ESA, together with agencies, industrial and academic organizations, decided, through the SAVOIR Advisory Group (SAG), to reconvene the SAVOIR FDIR working group and revise the handbook based on lessons learned. The need of updating the handbook was identified due to the realization that some topics were to be added, or that the handbook was to be tailored for specific, less conventional missions. The work performed by the working group aimed to address these issues and culminate in an updated version of the handbook. The objective of the presentation is to present these changes, justifying the choices made and providing details on how the proposed FDIR design and practices are adapted for specific missions, such as Close Proximity Operations (CPO), all based on lessons learned, gathered from ESA, Agencies and Industry.
Speaker: Silvana Radu (ESA) -
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Safety in mission and system design for In-Orbit Servicing during close proximity operations 20m
The current presentation focuses on the impact of best practices and guidelines for safe close proximity operations on the conception, the design, and the validation and verification (V&V) of the S/C mission and systems. After introducing the key safety requirements for safe Close Proximity Operations, their impact on the system and mission design will be discussed in details, with a focus on specific analyses and tests that are required to validate and verify the design and requirements. Finally, the validation and verification process will be described and applied to a cooperative rendezvous case study, detailing the tools required at each stage of the process, with a focus on trajectory validation, collision risk assessment, and compatibility analysis.
Speaker: Pierre Dandré -
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Active Debris Removal market 20m
The increase in space activity will have the external effect of increasing the amount of space debris and therefore the importance of debris management.
ADR is taking shape through the development of technologies and demonstration missions.
But is there a real market for these services?
ADR services are expected to be very expensive as they involve sending a satellite into orbit to retrieve another. However, commercial satellite operators, who will launch most satellites in the future have little interest in using ADR services as they would derive little benefit from them.
For the ADR market not to be a purely government-funded market, commercial operators need to be incentivised through lower ADR prices (e.g. reusability of the ADR servicer) and incentives through stronger local and international regulations.
Despite being very expensive, ADR has the advantage of being able to remove debris already in orbit. Hence, satellite operators would tend to favour mitigation solutions (e.g. propulsion, solar sail, tether, etc.), and could purchase ADR services in case of a failure of the satellite's deorbiting system.Speaker: Hugo Kalifa (Novaspace)
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Zero Debris: Workshop: Dark and Quiet Skies Earth Room (Erasmus)
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Transfer Time to Highbay 15m
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Wrap-Up Highbay (Erasmus)
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General: Dinner Cantine
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Zero Debris: Introduction Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Zero Debris: General Comments, Booklet Structure, introduction Chapters (Intro, Terms of Use, Glossary, Towards Circular Economy)) Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Zero Debris: Technical Booklet Next Steps Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Coffee Break 30m
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Zero Debris: Plenary Session: Technical Booklet Chapter Discussions Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Zero Debris: Plenary Session: Technical Booklet Chapter Discussions Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Coffee Break 30m
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Zero Debris: Working Group 1: PREVENT RELEASE OF SPACE DEBRIS Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Zero Debris: Working Group 2: GUARANTEE TIMELY AND SUCCESSFUL CLEARANCE Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Zero Debris: Working Group 3: PREVENT DEBRIS GENERATION THROUGH BREAK-UPS OR COLLISIONS Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Zero Debris: Working Group 4: IMPROVE SPACE TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE AND COORDINATION Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Zero Debris: Working Group 5: PREVENT CASUALTIES ON GROUND Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Zero Debris: Working Group 6: UNDERSTAND AND MITIGATE ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES OF SPACE DEBRIS Tennis Hall (Escape)
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Zero Debris: Wrap-Up and Remaining Actions for Issue 1 Publication Tennis Hall (Escape)
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