Axelspace Green Spacecraft Standard 1.0

Axelspace Green Spacecraft Standard 1.0

Axelspace Green Spacecraft Standard
Revision history
Date

RevisionUpdates

2023-06-05

1.0

Initial release1.

Introduction

With the increasing utilization of space through satellite constellations, it is predicted that a wide

variety of satellites will be mass-produced and launched more frequently worldwide in the future.
Under these circumstances, as a company involved in spacecraft development, manufacturing, andoperation, Axelspace believes the following two sustainability initiatives are crucial to undertake.
For Sustainable EarthAlthough little attention has been paid to the space sector in the past, with the advent of the eraof satellite mass production, it is necessary to work on reducing the burden on the global environment
during the satellite development, manufacturing, and testing phases on the ground, just as in otherindustries. Axelspace has developed guidelines for sustainable manufacturing practices during thedevelopment, manufacturing, and testing phases on the ground through discussions with partnercompanies in the Spacecraft Manufacturing Alliance who have expertise in manufacturing
sustainability in other industry sectors.
For Sustainable SpaceIn addition to the accumulation of space debris since the dawn of space exploration, there areconcerns about the further deterioration of the orbital environment, including the increased risk ofcollisions due to orbital congestion caused by the emergence of mega-constellations. Guidelines fordebris mitigation have been established by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, IADC, andISO, but it is up to satellite developers and operators to determine how to achieve the established goals.
Under these circumstances, Axelspace endorsed the Space Sustainability Rating (SSR) initiative, inwhich the Space Center (eSpace) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) serves
as the operating agency to quantify and rate the impact of satellite operators' missions on the spaceenvironment. We participated in the SSR beta test program to provide feedback to the rating systemfrom the perspective of satellite developers and operators, and developed guidelines for spacesustainable design and operation.
This Green Spacecraft Standard establishes best practices that satellite developers and operators
can implement specifically for sustainability of both the terrestrial and space environments throughout
Axelspace Green Spacecraft Standard 1.0

the entire life cycle of a spacecraft, from ground-based design and development to in-orbit disposal.
This standard will be updated from time to time to reflect the space community's rule making, research
results, and technological innovations.

1.1.

Acronyms

Acronyms

Stands forMeaning

COLA

Collision Avoidance

Operation to avoid collision with space debris
or other active spacecrafts.

IADC

Inter-Agency
Space
Coordination Committee

ISOInternational
Organization
Standardization

PMD

Post-Mission Disposal

De-orbiting
operationaftermission
completion to dispose spacecrafts byatmospheric reentry or moving to graveyard
orbit.

SSA

Space Situational Awareness

Activities to monitor orbital environment
such as detection of space objects, orbit
determination, maintaining a space object
database, and collision risk evaluation.

SSR

Space Sustainability Rating

Rating system proposed by World Economic
Forum to assess spacecraft developers andoperators in terms of space sustainability.

UNOOSA

United Nations Office for Outer Space UNOOSA manages international cooperation
Affairs
for peaceful space utilization.

Axelspace Green Spacecraft Standard 1.0

Debris Committee of space debris experts fromnational space agencies around the world.
for International organizationindustrial standards.

formaking2. For Sustainable Earth

Axelspace and the Spacecraft Manufacturing Alliance’s initiative to work towards global

environmental sustainability during the development, manufacturing, and testing phases ofspacecrafts is established in the Green Spacecraft Manufacturing Guidelines. This chapter describes
the abstract of the guidelines.

2.1.

Green Procurement

Regarding the procurement of products, semi-processed products, parts, raw materials, auxiliarymaterials, packaging materials, packing materials, etc. for satellite development, manufacturing, andtesting, we will:● Select items that have minimal environmental impact and do not contain prohibitedhazardous chemicals● Select supplier companies that are committed to environmental protection and chemical
substance management

2.2.

Green Manufacturing & Testing

To reduce the environmental impact of the satellite manufacturing process including procurement
operations, delivery and inspection of procured products, satellite assembly, (environmental) testingof the satellite, and various supporting processes, we will implement the following initiatives:● Promote paperless practices● Reduce power consumption during the manufacturing process● Recycle materials during processing (metal materials, waste oil, etc.)● Automate and streamline testing and inspection processes

2.3.

Green Transportation

To reduce the use of accompanying materials and minimize waste during transportation within
the development, manufacturing, and testing processes, we will implement the following initiatives:● Standardize and reuse shipping containers● Reduce and reuse accompanying materials during transportation● Make efforts to reduce CO2 emissions during transportation● Reduce the use of GSE (Ground Support Equipment)

Axelspace Green Spacecraft Standard 1.0

3. For Sustainable SpaceAs a result of humanity’s past space activities, the presence of space debris, including objects likeused rockets and satellites left in orbit, has become an extremely serious problem for the development
and sustainability of the space business.
Axelspace’s satellites are designed and operated with careful consideration for the orbital debris
environment throughout their life cycle in space, from orbital deployment to disposal after operation.

3.1.

Prevention of Debris Release

In the past, when the debris problem was not as apparent as it is today, there were instanceswhere unnecessary objects such as protective covers for sensors and separation/deployment
mechanisms were detached from satellites as debris. It is necessary to design satellites in a way thatprevents the release of such objects as debris.
GS-STD-SS-01: Design the satellite in a way that prevents the release of debris objects (definedinternationally as 1 mm or larger) from the satellite.

3.2.

Post Mission Disposal (PMD)

If a satellite remains in orbit after it has been decommissioned, it will become debris and pose acollision risk to other satellites. In order to maintain a sustainable orbital environment for shared use
by satellite operators, it is crucial to dispose of post-mission satellites in a timely and reliable manner.
GS-STD-SS-02: Orbit planning shall be performed so that a natural fall (atmospheric re-entry) occurs
within 25 years from decommissioning.
GS-STD-SS-03: Equip the satellite with devices such as Drag Sail to achieve rapid deorbiting, reducing
the deorbit time to within 5 years during disposal operations.
GS-STD-SS-04: To ensure that PMD is properly executed, prepare a disposal operation plan thatspecifies satellite telemetry to be monitored for PMD, criteria for suspending mission operations
and shifting to PMD, criteria for extending the mission operation period, and procedures for
implementing PMD.

3.3.

Orbital Collision Avoidance (COLA: COLlision Avoidance)
With Debris and Other Satellites

When a satellite collides with orbital debris or other operational satellites, it not only results inthe loss of satellite functionality but also generates a large amount of debris, leading to further collisionrisks. To avoid this, it is necessary to detect the risk of approaching debris or other satellites andperform appropriate collision avoidance operations.
GS-STD-SS-05: For accurate collision risk assessment, maintain and update orbit determination
information based on the satellite's positional data throughout the operational phase, ensuring
higher precision than NORAD TLE.
Axelspace Green Spacecraft Standard 1.0

GS-STD-SS-06: Establish a collision avoidance operation plan that defines the procedures to screen,
evaluate, and perform collision avoidance maneuvers in response to collision risk alerts.
GS-STD-SS-07: Using the latest orbital object distribution model, estimate the frequency of collision
avoidance maneuvers during the operational and PMD phases and incorporate them into thesatellite propulsion system requirement specifications.
GS-STD-SS-08: Confirm that maneuver plans (not limited to collision avoidance operations) of ourmanaged satellites do not create a collision risk with debris or other satellites (Perform COLA
analysis).

3.4.

Collaboration With SSA Agencies and Other Satellite
Operators

For collision risk assessment and appropriate collision avoidance operations, it is important tocooperate and collaborate with SSA agencies (e.g. Space Track) and other satellite operators with whomthere is a collision risk.
GS-STD-SS-09: Establish a communication protocol and provide our contact information to SSA
agencies like Space Track so that other satellite operators at risk of collision with our managed
satellites can contact us.
GS-STD-SS-10: Disclose to SSA agencies and other operators Ephemeris information and maneuverplans of our managed satellites up to 7 days ahead based on high-precision orbit determination.
GS-STD-SS-11: Provide SSA agencies with the necessary satellite information (mass, size, presence oforbit control capability, operational status, etc.) to assess collision risk.

3.5.

Orbital Object Detection, Identification, and Tracking

The number of satellites launched into orbit on a single launch vehicle has increased
significantly from previous years through methods like piggybacking, ridesharing, etc., making it
more important than ever for SSA agencies to quickly identify which satellite corresponds todetected objects in orbit.
GS-STD-SS-12: Notify SSA agencies in advance about satellites scheduled for deployment andprovide their orbital information prior to launch.
GS-STD-SS-13: During initial operations, we shall promptly notify the SSA agencies as soon as weare able to identify the COSPAR ID of our satellites.

3.6.

Third Party Review

Ensure transparency of the above efforts for orbital sustainability by obtaining an objective
evaluation of their effectiveness by a third party.
GS-STD-SS-14: Receive an evaluation of our orbital sustainability efforts by an external organizationsuch as SSR.
Axelspace Green Spacecraft Standard 1.0