In a significant step toward ensuring the long-term sustainability of space operations, the UK Space Agency has announced funding of more than £380,000 for 10 technical studies aimed at addressing the challenges posed by space debris. This initiative supports international research through the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), highlighting the UK’s commitment to global space safety.
Space debris, consisting of defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from collisions, poses a serious risk to active spacecraft and future missions. The studies will contribute to the IADC’s four key working groups: measurements, environment and database, modelling, and mitigation. The IADC, which comprises 13 member space agencies and three associate members, has been at the forefront of coordinating efforts to understand and mitigate these hazards for over 30 years.
The committee’s research has played a pivotal role in developing innovative techniques, such as advanced shielding to protect spacecraft from debris impacts and models predicting the long-term evolution of the debris environment. Notably, the IADC’s work has informed the creation of the IADC Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines, which serve as a cornerstone for global regulatory frameworks on debris management.
Andrew Ratcliffe, Chief Engineer at the UK Space Agency and current Chair of the IADC, emphasized the importance of these projects: “As current Chair of the IADC it is great to see this set of projects initiated. The research performed by the IADC and the outputs developed are critically important to the international community to help in their understanding of the orbital environment and approaches to mitigate the impact of space debris. These studies will be a key input to this ongoing research and show UK commitment to space safety and sustainability topics.”
Dr. Mamatha Maheshwarappa, Head of Research and Development at the UK Space Agency, added: “The studies have been initiated with a broad range of suppliers, so I would like to congratulate the winners and I look forward to seeing the outputs. These studies will be contributing to the ongoing research activities within the IADC, particularly in understanding the evolution of the space debris environment and in developing mitigation approaches that can be adopted by both operators and regulators.”
This funding aligns with the UK’s broader leadership in space sustainability. The UK Space Agency actively participates in international forums like the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) and drives initiatives in regulation, standards, research, space observation, monitoring, and technology development for Active Debris Removal and In-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM). These efforts are coordinated with the Space Directorate within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The funded studies cover a diverse range of topics and are distributed across several lots:
- Lot 1.1: Analysis of data from EISCAT Beampark campaign (Digantara Research and Technologies Private Ltd)
- Lot 2.1: Assess the utility of existing metrics and develop new metrics for space environment (Two parallel studies: University of Birmingham and University of Strathclyde)
- Lot 2.2: Develop software and tools to assess the environment (Two parallel studies: University of Birmingham and SpaceROC Ltd)
- Lot 2.3: Timeliness for End of Life (EOL) proposal (Two parallel studies: University of Birmingham and The Aerospace Corporation UK, Ltd)
- Lot 3.1: Critical space debris threshold vulnerability (The Aerospace Corporation UK, Ltd)
- Lot 4.1: Lunar debris mitigation guidelines: further work on disposal options (Space Professionals Partnership Ltd)
- Lot 4.2: Assessment of technologies driving post-mission disposal reliability (3S Northumbria Ltd)
By supporting these studies, the UK Space Agency is not only advancing scientific knowledge but also fostering collaboration among global experts to safeguard the orbital environment for generations to come. As space activities continue to expand, such proactive measures are essential to preventing the escalation of debris-related risks.
