The Zero Debris Charter, unveiled at the ESA Space Summit in Seville in November 2023, aims for future missions to become debris neutral by 2030.
The space community has shown strong support for the initiative. Twelve European countries were the first to sign the charter at the ESA/EU Space Council in Brussels. Over 100 organizations worldwide have registered their intent to sign, with dozens joining today.
"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," said Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General.
"The European space sector leads by example and by taking this step collectively, we gain a crucial momentum towards achieving Zero Debris by 2030."
The number of satellites launched in the last two years exceeds those launched in the previous six decades. Without decisive action, the growing debris population will threaten satellites and astronauts and could render valuable orbits unusable.
"In recent years, the number of debris in space has spiralled, increasing the risk of catastrophic damage to space assets. Today, as a united community, we are sending a strong signal that the space sector is ready to act," said Holger Krag, ESA Head of Space Safety.
"The Zero Debris community is committed to get hands-on with debris mitigation standards and technologies to make the clean and sustainable use of space a reality."
At its Ministerial Conference in 2022, ESA was encouraged to implement a Zero Debris approach for its missions and to encourage others to follow, putting Europe at the forefront of sustainability in space.
ESA"s Zero Debris approach includes revising internal space debris mitigation requirements to become debris-neutral by 2030, relying on technology from ESA's Space Safety Programme.
The Zero Debris Charter is a community-driven initiative facilitated by ESA"s 'Protection of Space Assets" Accelerator and developed by more than 40 space actors. It includes guiding principles and ambitious targets to achieve Zero Debris.
There will be more signing opportunities for organizations that registered their intent during the Industry Space Days and other events. The goals and guiding principles of the charter are being translated into actionable targets, with new technologies being developed to achieve these goals.
At the community's request, ESA is creating a Zero Debris Technical Booklet, compiling needs, technical solutions, and contributions from the Zero Debris community.
Click here to learn more about the Zero Debris Charter, its goals, the development process, and how to register your organization's intent to sign.
Find the list including future signatories here.
Related Links
Zero Debris Charter,
Space Technology News - Applications and Research
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