Statement by Chiara Manfletti, CEO of Neuraspace, on the recently published Zero Debris Technical Booklet
We all know that reducing debris in space and mitigating further accumulation requires a dedicated and comprehensive support from all space actors. Neuraspace has participated in the workshop sessions and contributed during the open and collaborative process to establish ESA’s newly published Zero Debris Technical Booklet. It benchmarks a comprehensive “selection of technical needs, solutions and key enablers that collectively provide the means to achieve the targets of the Zero Debris Charter”.
Neuraspace is a member of the Zero Debris community and has been an early adopter of ESA Zero Debris charter back in 2023. Through its space domain awareness and space traffic management platform and products, Neuraspace has already made significant contributions to safeguard the 400 satellites of its customers and reduce collisions in space for everybody.
Both the charter and ESA’s booklet are voluntary and non-binding, however, they signify important cornerstones towards space sustainability and a circular economy in space. They foster a community and recognise that meaningful improvements to space safety and sustainability can only be achieved through the cooperative efforts of proactive actors committed to acting and working collectively towards jointly defined measurable targets for 2030. And while the legal, regulatory, political, and financial aspects of space debris need urgent solutions, too, the technical side sets out the technological and actionable means and requirements to accomplish them. Demonstrating the feasibility of these technological and actionable means paves the way for concrete solutions and help inform regulatory solutions to come soon. Further they stimulate the growth of an ecosystem and market.
The pressing and growing issue of space debris is undeniable. Avoiding debris-generating collisions in space, which further increases the risk for other spacecraft and human space missions is crucial. The booklet’s technical list can function as a path to more innovative solutions to keep space sustainable for future missions and generations. This contributes to ensuring that the global challenges we face on Earth can continue to count aided through the contribution of space infrastructure and the data and insight they generate to tackle them.
The booklet details six key technological objectives:
As with all endeavours, getting started is key. The signatories of the charter and participants in the making of the booklet are spearheading the development of a sustainable space environment and economy. They are also driving the establishment of space sustainability of a market in its own right.
At Neuraspace, we strongly believe that innovation and the use of existing technologies such as AI and machine learning, as well as the development of more autonomous spacecraft are vital steps to unlock the full potential of the space economy.
The latest version of the Booklet can be accessed here: https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/spacesafety/Zero_Debris_Technical_Booklet.pdf
Chiara Manfletti
CEO Neuraspace