The concerns regarding the proliferation of space debris and its consequential collision risk have transcended the confines of specialized departments within major space agencies and a narrow community of space debris experts, given rise to a plethora of policies, standards and guidelines, generated by public and private organizations.
The approach to the space debris issue is no longer...
During high-energy events, such as explosions or impacts, solids and structures undergo rapid, catastrophic failure. Cracks initiate from material defects, propagate at high speeds, and branch out, eventually coalescing to form fragments. This chaotic process is marked by the propagation and interaction of stress waves throughout the solid and repeated contact among crack faces and the moving...
Environmental impacts of products and services used in each of the three segments (space/launch/ground) are best evaluated with a holistic view by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This method standardized in ISO 14040 and 14044 is already adapted to space in the ESA Space LCA Handbook. Industry as well as academia and governmental organisations have performed several LCA studies in the past...
Whilst the focus of the space industry may have primarily been on increasing sustainability in space with space debris mitigation efforts, a growing international effort is put into sustainability for space. This includes the various actions to understand the environmental impacts on Earth of the space sector and to mitigate these impacts during the engineering phase of space missions. Life...
