Industry Deep Dives: Making Space Sustainable for Future Space Utilization and Exploration

Tuesday 22 October 2019, 16:05 – 16:15
Location: The Walter E. Washington Convention Center – Grand Ballroom A

The rapidly growing commercial space industry shows no signs of slowing down, and while this brings innovation and unprecedented growth to the space industry, it is not without dangers. Smaller, cheaper and more agile ventures that are more accepting of risk means more satellites in orbit and more risk of collision. It is a Catch-22: While citizens crave the increased benefits we receive from space utilization and exploration, the potential for overuse leads to congested, dangerous and unsustainable orbits.

Founded in 2013, Astroscale’s mission is to provide reliable and cost-efficient spacecraft retrieval services to satellite operators in order to secure long-term spaceflight safety and achieve orbital sustainability for the benefit of future generations. Astroscale is the leading global company proposing to aid in the removal of orbital debris through the provision of two services: end-of-life (EOL), targeting constellations and satellite operators, and active debris removal (ADR), targeting existing larger space debris.

Astroscale is also actively discussing global standards and policy for orbital debris removal with a range of constituencies. We are contributing to discussions among policy makers in the US, UK, Europe and Japan. Additionally, Astroscale is closely involved in conversations on best practices and norms of behaviour in various formal and ad-hoc industry groups and international organizations, including: UNCOPUOS, Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS), and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The presentation will give an overview of the latest updates of Astroscale, including the value proposition of a commercial EOL/ADR service and a description of the technologies that will lead to safe and effective solutions for maintaining orbital sustainability and accessibility in space.

Organized by: