Speakers
Description
A few years ago, ESA’s Future Launcher Preparatory Program (FLPP) correctly identified the sector’s need for a space-specific Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and ecodesign tool. Indeed, the industry — from primes to smaller SMEs in their supply chains — must now comply with environmental requirements from ESA and national space agencies, and additional regulations are expected like the European Space Act around 2030. Most companies do not have the internal knowledge and resources to comply, and until now, only had access to unintuitive and generic LCA tools. The Assessment and Comparison Tool (ACT) is the solution. The product of a 3+ years research and development project by an EPFL-led consortium for ESA is now operationalized, maintained, and commercialized by the spin-off of the consortium, EcoDeltaV Sàrl.
The ACT is continuously improved by following a clear roadmap which has been devised to account for the rapidly evolving sector’s practices and scientific knowledge. Feedback on possible improvements is also gathered through EcoDeltaV’s tool-based professional services and the ACT’s Early Adopters program, to make sure users’ needs are answered efficiently. From this, real needs, new features, the objectives to integrate new regulations and guidelines, and compatibility with other software tools, have been identified, and prioritized in the roadmap. Potential project, funding opportunities, and partners have been identified for each capability, and releases are timed with respect to external events relevant for the software usage.
This presentation dives into the details of the roadmap, its creation, use, and maintenance. It shows how it aligns with ESA’s and European LCA and ecodesign efforts, including with the expected regulatory changes, and external events. To define it, a stakeholder analysis and a competitive benchmarking exercise have been performed. Figures of merit have been defined regarding productivity, information, efficiency, and cost, and new technologies have been identified as candidates to improve those metrics by being integrated in the tool. Additionally, the ACT’s Early Adopters program ensures a rapid response to the industry’s real needs, feeding them into the roadmap to keep it up-to-date.
This robust and coherent technical roadmap will guarantee the continued relevance of the ACT and its unique position to answer the needs of space actors.