Space Circular Economy Knowledge Exchange Webinar

Thursday Jan 30, 2025, 10:00 AM → 12:00 PM Europe/Amsterdam

ESA invites you to join the Space Circular Economy Knowledge Exchange Webinar on the 30th January 2024.

The Agency has four activities running that will pave the way towards a circular economy in space. These studies explore the feasibility of missions to assemble, refurbish, and recycle space systems in orbit and represent the first steps towards demonstrating these innovative concepts through ESA missions.

In this webinar, the companies involved (Astroscale, Growbotics, Kinetik, and Thales Alenia Space) will share their ideas with one another, the wider space industry, and the public.

10:00 AM → 10:20 AM Introduction

An introduction to space circular economy activities at ESA.

Speakers: Antonio Caiazzo (ESA), Calum Turner (ESA)

10:20 AM → 10:40 AM Astroscale

Astroscale are working to develop an In-orbit Refurbishment and Upgrading Service. Their proposed mission will develop capabilities to refurbish and upgrade satellites, moving away from the current single-use culture in space. Astroscale will focus on both the technological and commercial feasibility of the project.

Speakers: Dr Adrian Dumitrescu (Astroscale UK), Ms Zaria Serfontein (Astroscale)

10:40 AM → 11:00 AM Growbotics

Growbotics are preparing the foundations of circular on-orbit economy through a commercial refurbishment mission of a spacecraft in GEO. They will decide between competing mission concepts and build the business case for their selected mission, as well as identifying how design for refurbishment will change the design of satellites in the future.

Speaker: Portia Bowman (Growbotics Space Ltd)

11:00 AM → 11:20 AM Kinetik

Kinetik aim to revolutionize the manufacturing and assembly processes giant or complex structures in orbit, such as giant solar sails, solar farms, antennas or reflectors. By using robotic fabrication technologies, their mission aims to simplify and expedite the assembly of space infrastructure as well as reducing the time, labour, and risks associated with traditional assembly methods.

Speaker: Maximo Roa (Kinetik)

11:20 AM → 11:40 AM Thales Alenia Space

Thales Alenia Space’s mission has the main objective of enabling an orbital recycling capability, both by identifying the materials and methods for on-orbit recycling as well as determining the impacts of ‘design for circularity’ initiative in the broader space ecosystem. They will also propose a preliminary design for a Recycling Space Plant system.

Speaker: Gautier Durand (Thales Alenia Space)

11:40 AM → 12:00 PM Q&A and Wrap-up

A wrap-up of the presentations, Q&A, and discussion of next steps

Speakers: Antonio Caiazzo (ESA), Calum Turner (ESA)