Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EUSTM (SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT FOR XXI CENTURY SPACE OPERATIONS)
Période du rapport: 2021-01-01 au 2022-08-31
Space activities have increased impressively in the last decades. Additionally, the emergence of new actors (including new space-faring nations, research institutes and commercial companies, among others, democratizing the access to space) as well as new concepts (such as small satellites and large constellations, on‐orbit satellite servicing, reusable rockets, etc.) are raising new challenges to ensure the security, safety, sustainability and stability of space operations.
Initiatives on national and international levels aim to tackle this issue through the promotion of prevention, understanding the situation, active collision avoidance operations as well as ADR. To ensure autonomy and leadership in the field whilst reducing the dependability on external SSA data, the EU has been focusing on enabling an independent STM capability.
The EUSTM CSA (“Space Traffic Management for XXI Century Space Operations”) aimed at analysing the current STM capabilities in Europe and beyond, delivering guidelines and recommendations to support the definition of a future autonomous European STM capability. Supported by the EU’s H2020 research and innovation programme (GA 101004319), it brought together 19 European partners with expertise in all aspects of STM – SSA/SST, policy & governance, legal & regulatory, satellite operators and manufacturers, launcher manufacturers, ATM key actors – covering both traditional and NewSpace space activities.
Initiatives on national and international levels aim to tackle this issue through the promotion of prevention, understanding the situation, active collision avoidance operations as well as ADR. To ensure autonomy and leadership in the field whilst reducing the dependability on external SSA data, the EU has been focusing on enabling an independent STM capability.
The EUSTM CSA (“Space Traffic Management for XXI Century Space Operations”) aimed at analysing the current STM capabilities in Europe and beyond, delivering guidelines and recommendations to support the definition of a future autonomous European STM capability. Supported by the EU’s H2020 research and innovation programme (GA 101004319), it brought together 19 European partners with expertise in all aspects of STM – SSA/SST, policy & governance, legal & regulatory, satellite operators and manufacturers, launcher manufacturers, ATM key actors – covering both traditional and NewSpace space activities.
EUSTM had its kick-off in January 2021 and lasted for 20 months. The EUSTM team members, the HaDEA and DEFIS representatives, the advisory board members and other relevant stakeholders attended a total of 4 overall workshops and 2 technical workshops, fostering the interaction and exchange of ideas and views on the subject.
As the main outcome of the activity, the EUSTM team provided a comprehensive set of needs for an autonomous European STM capability, as well as the related guidelines, recommendations and best practices to cover them from the strategic, policy, legal, security and technological perspective. In this manner, a whole end-to-end activity was executed.
Some of the most relevant stakeholders in Europe (outside team members) and beyond in the different domains listed above (as applicable to STM) were consulted to collect their views on the definition of a future STM capability in Europe, with a particular focus on future users (such as satellite operators, among others). Various independent surveys and consultation campaigns were executed and a network collaborative platform was put in place, hence creating an active community of interest in STM.
As the main outcome of the activity, the EUSTM team provided a comprehensive set of needs for an autonomous European STM capability, as well as the related guidelines, recommendations and best practices to cover them from the strategic, policy, legal, security and technological perspective. In this manner, a whole end-to-end activity was executed.
Some of the most relevant stakeholders in Europe (outside team members) and beyond in the different domains listed above (as applicable to STM) were consulted to collect their views on the definition of a future STM capability in Europe, with a particular focus on future users (such as satellite operators, among others). Various independent surveys and consultation campaigns were executed and a network collaborative platform was put in place, hence creating an active community of interest in STM.
In addition to the state-of-the-art techniques and technologies related to STM, the main existing, under development and planned technological assets have been identified, both inside and outside the EU, as wel as the most relevant capabilities in terms of expert engineering teams in the institutional, industrial or commercial and research/academic domains, providing a comprehensive technological landscape applicable to STM, useful to identify reusable existing assets and gaps for the development of an autonomous European STM capability.
The set of needs for a future STM capability in Europe has been presented for each of the domains considered, derived from the main users of such capability both from the current landscape of the space business as well as from the main relevant actors in the New Space era.
Aimed at supporting future decision-making that would favor a safe and sustainable usage of the space environment while ensuring the European best interest, the results of the impact assessment of the development of an European approach to STMwere presented, covering four impact categories: industry competitiveness, European non-dependency, European leadership and international collaboration.
A data governance and security analysis concerning the development of a European approach to STM was provided, pinpointing that it should contribute to maintaining EU’s autonomy for safe access and use of space while assuring the space environment's long-term sustainability. It should support protecting Europe’s related space infrastructure and services on which our societies, economies and citizens greatly depend. Information is a critical resource and needs to be treated like an essential element to the provision of STM services.
The policy analysis comprehensively reviewed the status quo in STM-related policy considerations both in Europe and in the global context, identified key conditions and prerequisites for future action at the EU level, and formulated policy recommendations on the way ahead.
The legal and regulatory analysis delivered an insight into the main legal aspects involved in establishing an EU contribution to an STM system, including its competences to establish a policy and undertake measures in this field, as well as accompanying aspects resulting from the dual systems of military and civilian tracking and sharing orbital data.
A tailored benchmarking against different ATM concepts, areas, and features has been performed, analysing how relevant ATM aspects could be transposed to STM and whether they need to be tailored or developed from a completely new point of view.
The main existing guidelines and best practices aimed at ensuring the security, safety, sustainability and stability of space operations were identified and assessed, encompassing the most widely acknowledged and accepted guidelines, best practices, frameworks, standards, policies, processes, procedures, requirements, codes of conduct, handbooks, reports, etc.
To effectively evaluate the level of adherence of current space operations to the existing STM guidelines and best practices, it was required to identify and analyse the space operations that are applicable to the STM field. This assessment was performed for all domains, mission phases (from mission design to decommissioning, also including space vehicle design, launch, orbit raising, on-station routine and contingency operations, and finally re-entry or graveyarding operations), and orbital regimes (LEO, MEO, HEO, GEO and beyond).
Different studies and analyses already have been showing that existing/adopted space debris mitigation guidelines and best practices are no longer enough to ensure the long-term sustainability of space operations. Therefore, there is a need to adapt existing guidelines and best practices, and to incorporate new ones to limit or keep under control the space population to avoid the so much feared Kessler syndrome. EUSTM also provided such recommendations, proposing a set of new STM guidelines and best practices with potential to address the problem of the long-term sustainability of the space.
The scientific and technology developments needed to support the adoption of the new STM guidelines and best practices were consequently identified, described and assessed, assuming full European autonomy in meeting this need. It included an estimation of the time, efforts and investments to achieve these developments that would be required in a context where Europe relies on European own capabilities only for implementing STM for European bodies operating in space. It addressed the main technologies relevant for the development of an STM capability. The existing, under development and planned assets were considered, as well as additional technology developments consider necessary.
The set of needs for a future STM capability in Europe has been presented for each of the domains considered, derived from the main users of such capability both from the current landscape of the space business as well as from the main relevant actors in the New Space era.
Aimed at supporting future decision-making that would favor a safe and sustainable usage of the space environment while ensuring the European best interest, the results of the impact assessment of the development of an European approach to STMwere presented, covering four impact categories: industry competitiveness, European non-dependency, European leadership and international collaboration.
A data governance and security analysis concerning the development of a European approach to STM was provided, pinpointing that it should contribute to maintaining EU’s autonomy for safe access and use of space while assuring the space environment's long-term sustainability. It should support protecting Europe’s related space infrastructure and services on which our societies, economies and citizens greatly depend. Information is a critical resource and needs to be treated like an essential element to the provision of STM services.
The policy analysis comprehensively reviewed the status quo in STM-related policy considerations both in Europe and in the global context, identified key conditions and prerequisites for future action at the EU level, and formulated policy recommendations on the way ahead.
The legal and regulatory analysis delivered an insight into the main legal aspects involved in establishing an EU contribution to an STM system, including its competences to establish a policy and undertake measures in this field, as well as accompanying aspects resulting from the dual systems of military and civilian tracking and sharing orbital data.
A tailored benchmarking against different ATM concepts, areas, and features has been performed, analysing how relevant ATM aspects could be transposed to STM and whether they need to be tailored or developed from a completely new point of view.
The main existing guidelines and best practices aimed at ensuring the security, safety, sustainability and stability of space operations were identified and assessed, encompassing the most widely acknowledged and accepted guidelines, best practices, frameworks, standards, policies, processes, procedures, requirements, codes of conduct, handbooks, reports, etc.
To effectively evaluate the level of adherence of current space operations to the existing STM guidelines and best practices, it was required to identify and analyse the space operations that are applicable to the STM field. This assessment was performed for all domains, mission phases (from mission design to decommissioning, also including space vehicle design, launch, orbit raising, on-station routine and contingency operations, and finally re-entry or graveyarding operations), and orbital regimes (LEO, MEO, HEO, GEO and beyond).
Different studies and analyses already have been showing that existing/adopted space debris mitigation guidelines and best practices are no longer enough to ensure the long-term sustainability of space operations. Therefore, there is a need to adapt existing guidelines and best practices, and to incorporate new ones to limit or keep under control the space population to avoid the so much feared Kessler syndrome. EUSTM also provided such recommendations, proposing a set of new STM guidelines and best practices with potential to address the problem of the long-term sustainability of the space.
The scientific and technology developments needed to support the adoption of the new STM guidelines and best practices were consequently identified, described and assessed, assuming full European autonomy in meeting this need. It included an estimation of the time, efforts and investments to achieve these developments that would be required in a context where Europe relies on European own capabilities only for implementing STM for European bodies operating in space. It addressed the main technologies relevant for the development of an STM capability. The existing, under development and planned assets were considered, as well as additional technology developments consider necessary.