Communications engineering
September 2026 by Axel Solt-Rindler, Elisabeth Billich, Johanna Sperl, Werner Engel, Bernhard Seifert & Christian Hansmann
Key highlights:
- Beyond zero debris: Emphasizes the need to expand space sustainability efforts beyond orbital safety to include the broader environmental consequences of space activities.
- Environmental impact of satellite re-entry: Highlights how spacecraft materials can release particles and chemical compounds into the atmosphere during re-entry, with potential implications for atmospheric chemistry and the ozone layer.
- Design for demisability: Discusses spacecraft design strategies that enable components to break up and burn up during atmospheric re-entry, while considering the environmental effects of this process.
- Circular and sustainable materials: Explores opportunities to use renewable, bio-based and lower-impact materials in spacecraft components to reduce environmental footprints.
- A life-cycle approach to space sustainability: Calls for material choices and spacecraft architectures that balance orbital safety, environmental protection, resource efficiency and long-term sustainability.
The publication advocates a broader vision of sustainable space activities, integrating orbital debris mitigation with environmentally conscious material selection and spacecraft design.