Second Space Capacity Allocation For The Sustainability Of Space Activities Workshop

Session

Is Space debris an environmental problem?

1

3 Jun 2026, 09:30

Politecnico di Milano

64. Space debris as an environmental stressor: analogies and insights from Planetary Boundary-based absolute environmental sustainability assessment

Esther Sanyé-Mengual (Joint Research Centre (JRC)), Thibaut Maury (Directorate General for Defence industry and Space (DEFIS), European Commission)

03/06/2026, 10:00

Space activities are increasingly facing with sustainability challenges associated with the deployment of large satellite constellations and rapid accumulation of both functional and non-functional objects (i.e. debris), eventually leading to orbital congestion and increased cascading collision risks. Similar to conventional environmental stressors, space debris results from the interaction...