The clean space team invites the space community to its new webinar on ESA's approach to designing technologies to improve the compliancy of satellites and upper stages to the existing space debris mitigation requirements.

On Thursday 25 February at 15:00 CEST, join the ESA Clean Space Team live to understand the Agency’s approach to implementing the cleansat project.

The Clean Space team intends to present ESA’s approach to designing technologies to improve the compliancy of satellites and upper stages to the existing space debris mitigation requirements.

With space debris on the rise, it is becoming vital that ESA not only reduces the impact of its own activities, but also sets an example to other agencies and space actors.

Back in 2013, the Clean Space initiative started to investigate ways to reduce the proliferation of debris due to future space missions. The investigation of cleaner technologies led to setting up the CleanSat project, with two major objectives:

  1. to minimise the production of space debris;
  2. to support European space industry in complying with current and upcoming requirements on space debris mitigation.

Achieving these goals requires finding new ways of developing innovative technologies. The CleanSat project came up with a successful approach:

  1. The team called for a workshop with the European space sector to discuss the way forward
  2. They built a common approach through cooperation and coordination with the European space community, from the large System Integrators (LSIs) that would be the end-users of these technologies, to the suppliers
  3. They have been identifying and investigating building blocks for common platforms.

Over the years, the CleanSat project has developed technologies to prevent debris creation for:

  • Passivating a satellite at the end of its life
  • Deorbiting the spacecraft to comply with the 25 years rule
  • Reducing casualty risks during re-entry by increasing the demisability of the technologies on board
  • Ensuring the reliability of End Of Life (EOL) technologies and operations.

Through the CleanSat building blocks implementation, ESA has established strong connections with the industry working in developing technologies for space debris mitigation.

This has reinforced Europe’s competitiveness in end-of-life mission management. This leading position is an asset, considering that in 2019, SpaceTec Partners estimated the space debris mitigation technology market will reach at least €3 billion by 2035.

How to register

The Clean Space team would like to invite representatives of space agencies, industries and academia to join this webinar. Click on this link to register before Sunday 21 February 2021.

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