Promoting responsible space practices: A primer on the Space Sustainability Rating
Creators: name:  ADRIEN SAADA 
name:   FLORIAN MICCO 
name:   EMMANUELLE DAVID 
name:   JEAN-PAUL KNEIB 
name:   MATHIEU UDRIOT 
name:   DANIELLE WOOD 
name:   SCOTT DORRINGTON 
name:   FRANCESCA LETIZIA 
name:   STIJN LEMMENS 
name:   MORIBA JAH 
name:   SIMON POTTER 
name:   MINOO RATHNASABAPATHY 
name:   NIKOLAI KHLYSTOV 
Publisher: name: Proceedings of the Aerospace Europe Conference - EUCASS - CEAS - 2023
Year: 2023
Subjects: SPACE DEBRIS
SPACE SUSTAINABILITY
RATING
INCENTIVE
GUIDE

description: More than one million objects larger than one centimetre are currently orbiting the earth. Among them, less than one percent are active satellites, leaving an overwhelming majority of the orbital population being composed of inactive objects, also referred to as space debris. As the space industry is developing rapidly, a growing number of actors and plans for large constellations are emerging in a complex regulatory landscape where best practices, guidelines, and norms need to be enforced. Latest long-term simulation of the space environment suggests that the absence of a behavioural change towards a more responsible use of the space would result in an unstable environment, in which the collision rates would increase exponentially. There is consequently a critical need to consider implementing tools that will incentivize space actors to foster responsible behaviour and implement debris mitigation measures in order to ensure long-term sustainability of the space environment. In that context, the Space Sustainability Rating (SSR) has been developed since 2019, and is operated by a non-profit organisation. The SSR is an innovative tool that aims to promote a responsible and sustainable use of outer space. It supports satellite operators such as governments, space agencies, and commercial companies, to understand the impact of their activities on the space environment, and to identify opportunities to reduce those impacts. The SSR is a rating system based on a set of criteria that cover a range of areas, including the mission\'s collision risk footprint, collision avoidance and post mission disposal strategies, data sharing, compliance to existing standards, detectability and trackability, and readiness to on-orbit servicing and removal. As the SSR went through a beta testing phase in which the rating methodology and process were streamlined and fine-tuned, the first official ratings were delivered in 2022. This paper provides an updated guide to the SSR, covering the process for using the rating system, including the steps involved in completing and maintaining a rating valid. It explains the background and purpose of the SSR, and outlines the key principles that underlie the rating system. A description of the rating computation among the different scoring categories is also being discussed. It describes its various modules, including the scoring methodology of the quantitative modules used to evaluate space activities. It is hoped that this updated guide will provide a useful resource for space actors looking to understand and use the SSR, and will help to promote the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. Keywords: space sustainability, space debris, rating, guide Acronyms ADOS Application of Design and Operation DIT Detectability, Identification, and Standards Trackability ASO Anthropogenic Space Object DS Data Sharing CAD Computer Aided Design ECOB Environmental Consequences of COLA COLlision Avoidance capabilities Orbital Breakups CONFERS consortium For Execution of EOIR ElectrO-InfraRed Rendezvous and Servicing operations ES External Services Copyright 2023 by First Author. Posted online by the EU CASS association with permission.