Written by Eszter Fay.
The development of new products and services from the convergence of digital and space technologies provides us with a space economy, or ‘space-as-a-service’.
However, the sustainability of space-based infrastructure in orbit and beyond is an emerging policy issue that is likely to become increasingly important in the coming decades. Accumulation of space debris could hinder our future exploration and exploitation of space. And in the near future, the observation of the universe from Earth could become impossible.
The space industry – mainly satellite manufacturing, support ground equipment manufacturing, and the launch industry – is growing fast. This creates environmental sustainability challenges such as the impact of re-entries, or light pollution that hinders astronomical observation, and environmental impacts on Earth itself.
How can we shape outer space economic development to save this planet? How can Europe establish, manage and protect its infrastructure in space, so humanity benefits from outer-space activity? Can Europe maintain a lead on clean space policy and technology? And can civil society help address space challenges to maximise public understanding and support for an ambitious European space strategy?
During the workshop on the ‘Future of Space – the sustainable path‘, organised by the European Parliament’s STOA Panel for Future of Science and Technology, experts from several disciplines discussed these questions with policymakers.
EU Space Law
According to STOA Vice-Chair Ivo Hristov (S&D, Bulgaria), this debate was very timely, as the European Commission was holding a public consultation on a draft law on space, planned for adoption in early 2024. The new EU Space Law will be structured around three main pillars:
- Guaranteed safe satellite traffic, aimed at mitigating the risk of collision caused by space debris;
- Resilient EU space infrastructure, in particular against cyberattacks;
- Sustainable space operations to ensure our ability to use space as an important economic engine.
Space pollution
Space pollution is self-sustained. More than 8 000 space craft currently create debris by colliding with space debris orbiting the Earth. Today, 128 million objects larger than 1 mm (and of those, 34 000 are bigger than 10 cm and 900 000 bigger than 1 cm) are currently spinning through space at 7 km/sec.
Because space debris increases the light in the sky, it hampers astronomical observation and damages radio frequency, both of which need a dark and quiet sky. A 2023 United Nations report identified space debris as one of our planet’s tipping points, which could impact our lives significantly (next to a Gulf stream collapse or melting polar ice, for instance).
The European Space Agency (ESA) carries out important space debris mitigation activities, including the ‘Zero Debris Charter‘ to drive guarantees to remove satellites from orbit at the end of their life. A vehicle capable of capturing space debris is being developed in the framework of the world’s first mission to remove debris from Earth’s orbit.
Moving to sustainable space activities
Experts present at the workshop from ESA, the European Commission and the European space community put forward elements that could enable more sustainable and fair space activities.
- More research programmes are needed on space sustainability – for example, to assess the impact on the upper atmosphere of burning metals during satellite re-entries.
- Political action and better regulation of commercial satellite launches are needed to enhance space sustainability. This regulation should be incorporated into EU environmental policy.
- Companies need legal certainty and legislation allowing open competition on a level playing field. International regulation of frequencies and orbits should make the market more accessible.
- A positive narrative on space exploration could be developed, including on international scientific cooperation, solidarity and inclusive reflection, to attract younger generations to engage in space science.
- Space development demands a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural approach: It is not ‘only’ technological innovation. This should have an impact on research and innovation policies. The race for commercial development in space cannot be pursued without an ethical reflection, in terms of justice and sustainability. Space is a common good. An impactful European position would require investment in innovation and support for start-ups and companies who can play a role in the space economy.
- The systematic use of space sustainability rating tools could help encourage space actors to design and implement more sustainable and more responsible space missions for the long-term sustainability of the space environment.
For more details, you can watch the event recording here and an EPRS video here.
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