Research Initiative on Sustainable Space Logistics

• Forschungsstelle: SBFI
• Projektnummer: P2022-EPFL-RISSL

Schlüsselwörter (Französisch)

Astronomie, Astrophysique, Satellites d'observation de la Terre, ESA, Space Center, Infrastructures de recherches spatiales, Espace, Space Research & Planetary Sciences.

Kurzbeschreibung (Englisch)

Space infrastructure: the growing space junk (with more than 28’000 space debris1 regularly tracked) may become a major impediment for space exploration and utilization. The fast increase in the number of satellites launched (triggered in particular by the recent development of satellite constellations in Low Earth Orbits), and the corresponding space debris’ growth, are about to jeopardize the future space activity and security. Innovative actions to maintain a sustainable space infrastructure are urgently needed, and digital information will be a key component of such a development. The Space Debris problem is now being recognised beyond the space sector and could have important societal and economic impact if the problem is not mitigated in the near future. Therefore, based on the experience gathered during the last two years and the lessons learned
[RD04], eSpace decided to focus on four strategic directions (See figure 1):
- Research and Innovation Support: The support provided consist in giving information, understanding the trends and identifying opportunities. The services also consist of helping research labs in writing proposal but also in attracting researchers to come to Switzerland. These activities are in the core of EPFL Space centre.
- In-Space-sustainability: EPFL has been selected to host the Space Sustainability Rating. This direction has two tracks, an operational and a research. EPFL will incubate the rating and start the operation aspects to contact and rate companies. The goal of SSR shall also be an enabler to perform further research such as looking at updating the rating and introducing new modules as well as working with the data produced by the rating in better understanding space sustainability.
- Space Logistics optimisation: This tool currently under development at eSpace in collaboration with ESA FLPP shall reach to the maturity to largely used by the community. When this point is reached the software license can be granted to a company to continue the operations and maintenance while eSpace will stay a partner for any updates.
- Sustainable Space logistics technologies: from the first workstream, the outcome shall be new technologies development in the research labs from development through national funding’s schemes to implementation with an industrial partner. So far 5 projects are currently on-going, from which 3 are in partnership with ClearSpace and one with Val signa.

Projektziele (Englisch)

The above-mentioned R&D activities will – by virtue of their nature – be driven and coordinated by academic groups, but links with industrial partners should be actively sought and encouraged to foster technology and expertise transfer. Most of the topics are of importance for both, ETH Zurich and EPFL, and many other institutions and companies in CH and will strengthen the collaboration within Switzerland. Projects with close collaborations with European and
international initiatives are of special relevance here.
Three sub-projects in three distinct, but related areas, are being proposed for funding:
- The space sustainability rating
- Space sustainability: Exploring the technical and policy aspects of an emerging concept
- NewSpace, an Innovatization of the space sector - What lessons for public policy?
The proposed initiative will allow Swiss research groups to claim a more competitive position within the European and international landscape of large space science projects and missions, foster national space activities and stimulate the national space sector.
The research initiative will also be accompanied by activities in teaching, education, and public outreach.