Speaker
Description
This presentation introduces a methodology for scalable and simplified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) aiming to enable dynamic future projections of environmental impacts of the space industry. LCA for the space industry has seen significant development in the last decade, with the release of space-specific databases and guidelines to address the sector’s specificities. Following the ISO-standardised approach, LCA has been applied across a range of missions for the purposes of both environmental reporting of hotspots, and early mission ecodesign to reduce impacts. However, although datasets for unique materials and processes for space have alleviated some barriers, there remains a disparity across the global industry between the quality of LCA in research and in practice. Confidentiality requirements limit both data availability and transparent reporting, hindering knowledge sharing to upskill LCA practitioners widely. Where LCA is implemented, it is still at risk of becoming a short-term compliance exercise if it is not applied across the whole industry and for future scenarios. An LCA of the University of Manchester CubeSat SOAR has been conducted using the Strathclyde Space Systems Database, highlighting fundamental gaps in LCA data and methodology. The results identified ozone depletion from the launch event as a key impact. Additionally, ground-based operations including office work contributed an average of 35% of total impact across terrestrial impact categories. However, unknown database assumptions of electricity usage and the launch campaign hindered the reliability of results. Collating the extensive data, which had been well recorded, but not for LCA purposes, was complicated and time consuming. The limitations of the SOAR assessment are now informing the development of a simplified LCA tool, based on empirical knowledge of barriers in space LCA. The method aims to bypass extensive data requirements using spacecraft and launcher average mass and power distributions, producing scalable impact results from an ‘impact per kg’ baseline. The SOAR LCA results will also be used alongside literature to validate CubeSat impact scalability. Transparency of assumptions minimises user uncertainty, and temporal components are included in functional units to account for reusability in launchers. The generality of this approach means it can be extended to estimate the impacts of future scenarios of the space industry. The scope is cradle-to-grave across ground, space and mission segments, providing results for a variety of traditional and space specific LCA impact categories. This approach would provide opportunities for high-level estimates of impacts where precise data is unavailable, or rapid hotspot identification where it is. This could be used for ecodesign through quick investigation of alternatives with a systems thinking approach, making ecodesign available to those without dedicated software. Furthermore, it presents an opportunity for governance by providing quantitative forward-looking estimates of whole industry impacts to inform policy decisions. For example, risk factors can be identified in sensitivity analysis that will drive environmental impact if activities increase at a given rate. The tool’s scope and application for future projections fill a significant gap in environmental impact assessment for space and can improve access to space sustainability across the industry.