eSpace has been selected as the organisation taking over and putting in place the Space Sustainability Rating (SSR). The objective of the SSR is to push forward sustainability in the space sector and reward operators whose missions comply with the sustainability norms and guidelines, mainly related to space debris mitigation.
It has been shown that the impact of the launch vehicle (LV) was not easily captured by the current version of the rating. Moreover, the responsibility for sustainability in space is for now mainly put on spacecraft operators and there is little incentive for LV providers in this field. On the other hand, rocket bodies are dominating the current total fragmentation risk and the new space mindset could see many more (micro) launchers produced and launched, which could increase the problem of space debris.
