The IEEC signs ESA’s Zero Debris Charter, a world-leading initiative for space debris mitigation
Caption: Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), with Josep Colomé, director of the Area for the Promotion of the Space Sector of Catalonia (APEC) of the IEEC.
Credits: IEEC.
The Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) is, since yesterday, officially committed to get hands-on with debris mitigation standards and technologies to make the clean and sustainable use of space a reality. More than 40 companies, research centres and international organisations signed the Zero Debris Charter yesterday at the Berlin International Airshow (ILA), confirming their dedication to the long-term sustainability of human activities in space.
“It is critical to protect the future of our most valuable and crucial space assets by keeping Earth’s orbits clear from debris. By jointly signing the Zero Debris Charter, the diverse entities demonstrate global leadership in space debris mitigation and remediation,” says Josef Aschbacher, European Space Agency (ESA)’s Director General.
The Zero Debris Charter is a world-leading initiative aiming for future missions to become debris neutral in space by 2030. It was unveiled at the ESA Space Summit in Seville in November 2023, and since then the space community has shown robust support for the initiative. Together with ESA, twelve European countries were recently the first to sign the Zero Debris Charter at the ESA/EU Space Council in Brussels. Besides, over 100 organisations worldwide have registered their intent to sign and join the collaborative effort in the coming months – dozens of them signing the Zero Debris Charter yesterday.
Caption: More than 40 companies, research centres and international organisations, including the IEEC, signed the Zero Debris Charter at the Berlin International Airshow (ILA) on 6 June 2024.
Credits: ESA.
More satellites have been launched in the last two years than during the entire six decades of space exploration. If quick and decisive action is not taken to improve the sustainability of space activities, the exponential growth of the debris population will pose an ever-increasing hazard to satellites and astronauts and could render some valuable orbits entirely unusable.
The goals and guiding principles of the Zero Debris Charter are being translated into actionable and measurable technical targets. New technologies that are required to achieve the ambitious Zero Debris targets will be developed.