The European Space Agency ( ESA ) wants to prevent its satellites and launch debris from continuing to populate Earth’s orbit.
The European Space Agency ( ESA ) wants to propose a regulation of “zero space debris ” in its missions, with a reliability of 90%, for the next meeting of the ministers of its member countries in November.
“We are imposing on ESA missions a reliability of 90% in orbit cleaning” at the end of their operations, said ESA ‘s director of operations , Rolf Densing, in a press conference at the International Astronaut Congress that took place celebrate in Paris.
In the 10% of space missions where space debris cannot be cleaned up , another operation will have to be organized to collect the rest.
This proposal joins others aimed at sustainable development, such as the reuse of ships and components that are to be repaired and put back into operation in space. “Sustainability on Earth is just as important as sustainability in space,” Densing said.
Increase in space debris
Given the exponential demand to send satellites into space in the coming years due to the proliferation of constellations (of the 7 to 8 thousand that currently exist, it is expected that tens of thousands will be added), he asked that measures be approved to manage space traffic in a “European and autonomous” way.
The Ariane rocket company, a subsidiary of Airbus and Safran, announced on the opening day of the International Astronaut Congress that it has succeeded in devising reusable shuttles programmed to return to Earth.
The ESA has made other proposals for the November ministerial, such as the use of satellites to provide uninterrupted and high-speed connections in communications, financial systems or transport, said Elodie Viau, director of telecommunications at ESA .
Viau noted that this type of technology is especially useful for self-driving cars, since they have to receive information quickly and permanently for it to function correctly.
The ESA also wants to propose a connectivity project with the Moon, which would consist of building a telecommunications system around the Earth’s satellite, which would help make “enormous discoveries” for science and technology.
The director general of ESA , Josef Aschbacher, pointed out that “Europe must ensure that it has a strong and robust space infrastructure” so as not to be “out of the race”. (EFE)