Speaker
Description
Satellite and upper-stage re-entries pose a dual challenge: fragments that survive to the surface create a casualty risk, while the ablation phenomenon injects metals, aerosols and reactive gases that can alter ozone and climate, and indirectly cause health effects.
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 remaining competitive. Since day one, MaiaSpace has been evaluating the environmental impacts of its launch service through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model.
Significant gaps remain in assessing the environmental impacts of space systems, particularly the high-atmospheric phases: launch and re-entry. To determine which strategy the Maia launcher should adopt for its upper stage and kick-stage re-entry to minimize environmental impact, we conducted a scientific review comparing two opposite approaches.
While Design-for-demise (D4D) minimises ground risks by maximising re-entry burn-up, design-for-non-demise (D4ND) aims to reduce high-altitude emissions. D4ND may require controlled descents, extra mass, or alternative materials, with consequences for other life cycle phases of the space object.
In this presentation, we review current evidence on casualty risk, atmospheric chemistry, and other feedback, showing that no unified metric yet exists, and set out research priorities for choosing the better end-of-life strategy .
