Speaker
Description
The European Space Agency (ESA) is advancing the implementation of its Ecodesign Policy within the Earth Observation Programme (EOP) space segment through a structured and pragmatic approach. This contribution describes how EOP translates policy principles into concrete requirements, engineering processes, and programme-level practices, enabling a consistent and operational implementation across missions.
Building on more than a decade of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) activities, the EOP framework establishes a harmonised methodology aligned with the latest ESA LCA Handbook and procurement processes, ensuring transparent and traceable environmental performance assessment across the full mission lifecycle.
A key feature of the EOP implementation is the progressive integration of ecodesign within the project lifecycle. Simplified LCA in early phases supports design orientation and prioritisation, while full LCA in later phases provides quantitative assessment and reporting, linked to contractual deliverables and decision-making processes.
The approach emphasises a system-level perspective, focusing on measures that deliver tangible environmental benefits while maintaining mission performance, cost, and schedule. It promotes evidence-based decision-making, reuse of validated LCA data, and proportionality in requirements to avoid unnecessary burden on projects and industry. At programme level, it supports continuous improvement by consolidating datasets, lessons learned, and ecodesign solutions for reuse in future missions.
Through this implementation, EOP contributes to embedding sustainability as a practical and scalable engineering discipline within ESA space segment development.