With the Artemis II mission having drawn renewed attention to space exploration, now represents a good opportunity to consider the environmental impacts of future space travel – and the infrastructure supporting space-based industries – to ensure their long-term sustainability.
That’s according to Andrea Vena, who has served as chief climate and sustainability officer at the European Space Agency (ESA) since 2021. Vena recently spoke at the Economist Impact Sustainability Week Summit in London, where SustainabilityOnline had the opportunity to catch up with him.
“My objective is to coordinate activities aimed at minimising the environmental impact of the agency’s operations,” Vena says of his role. “However, my focus extends to the entire European space ecosystem, which is guided by the European Space Agency.”
Managing different environments
As Vena explains, the ESA’s sustainability efforts address three environments: Earth, in-orbit and outer space. On Earth, the agency aligns with EU targets – it is aiming to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 46% and Scope 3 emissions by 28% by 2030 – but as focus shifts to beyond the upper atmosphere, the situation gets a little more complex.
As the agency’s recently published Space Environment Health Index noted, increasing volumes of satellites, debris, and fragmentation events have pushed the orbital environment to levels four times above the sustainability threshold. The ESA is seeking to address these challenges through improved mission design, stricter debris mitigation standards, and enhanced international collaboration.
“We have been actively engaging with the Space Debris Zero Charter, which has now been subscribed to and signed by more than 190 organisations, including governments,” he says. “By signing, they commit not to launch objects into space that produce – or could potentially produce – space debris.
“Why is this important? Because space debris puts operational spacecraft at risk and reduces the incentive for entrepreneurs to deploy their assets in orbit, given the potential hazards.”
Circular approach
Outer space exploration, while for the moment somewhat theoretical, offers “promising” opportunities of its own, Vena adds. The ESA is exploring a circular approach, developing materials and technologies that enable reuse, recycling, and in-orbit reassembly, with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of future missions.
“The goal is to minimise the impact on the celestial bodies we explore while continuing to advance human space activities,” he says. “We are already working very deeply on this, developing materials that can be reused and then reassembled in orbit.
“This includes using materials like regolite and ammonia to create solar panels, so we can be autonomous in terms of energy production, or establishing platforms where we can reassemble satellites, repurpose them and use them for further exploration.”
Tackling space debris
The ESA currently tracks around 40,000 objects in Earth’s orbital environment, although this forms only part of the estimated 1.2 million objects larger than one centimetre that orbit the planet.
“There has been plenty of growth of space debris in the last ten years; there’s no doubt about that,” says Vena.”Our colleagues in space operations are continuously making manoeuvres to avoid known space debris.
“A great challenge is that there are many objects that are not catalogued – they don’t know where they are coming from – so they may come out of the blue. It’s a continuous effort when it comes to operations.”
While net debris continues to grow, the ESA is seeking to limit future debris through its Zero Debris Approach, which seeks to ‘significantly limit the production of debris in Earth and Lunar orbits by 2030 for all future missions’, as the agency notes on its website. It is also involved in active debris removal missions, such as ClearSpace-1, which is scheduled to enter orbit in 2028 to explore the feasibility of active debris removal, or ADR, as it is known.
“We are doing our part as a space agency, developing precise guidelines to avoid generating new space debris,” says Vena. “But of course the main problem is the legacy, what is already there.”
The role of AI
Through coordination with organisations such as NASA, the ESA is utilising the latest technology – powered by artificial intelligence – to track debris and assess its risk potential.
“Artificial intelligence can give you much more insight on the dynamics of an object that is in orbit, compared with normal processes, and this translates into a faster reaction time,” he says. “That faster reaction time might mean you are able to save a satellite from a possible collision.”
Tracking – and in time, catching – space debris isn’t the only AI application the ESA is exploring, with Vena highlighting its potential to optimise efficiency and extend the lifetime of equipment. For example, bespoke AI and machine learning tools are being applied to monitor spacecraft behaviour and reduce propellant use.
“This onboard AI gives us a great advantage, as we can avoid downloading terabytes of data that is potentially not usable,” he says.
Practical applications
As to the practical Earth-bound applications of the agency’s efforts, Vena notes that the ESA translates satellite data into practical applications for businesses in areas such as agriculture, energy, and climate monitoring. The agency also provides specialised data packages to support companies in optimising their operations within specific fields.
“In energy production, for example, and in the safeguarding of energy grids, there are hundreds of examples,” he says. “We spend around €100 million per year to support these kinds of projects. I’m not saying that 100% of the projects then go on to become commercial solutions, but we have a very good success rate and very good uptake.”
While the crew of the Starship Enterprise prided themselves on ‘boldly going where no one had gone before’, Vena and his team recognise the importance of maintaining strong connections with planet Earth. After all, it’s the only planet we’ve got… for the moment at least.
Learn more about the European Space Agency here.
