Edinburgh, 21 April 2022. – The Space Sustainability Rating (SSR), hosted by the eSpace-EPFL Space Center, will allow space operators to improve their mission sustainability by obtaining a rating after transparent, data-based assessments and actionable guidance that support space debris mitigation efforts. The program, under which spacecraft and satellite operators will be scored based on space debris mitigation measures, will go live in June 2022.
The SSR is a voluntary rating and certification system available for all space actors who wish to join. It assess the level of sustainability of the missions by focusing on six aspects comprising collision avoidance process and data sharing.
Detectability, mission index (the level of harmful physical interference), assessing compliance with international standards and regulations are also among the criteria. The last aspect to be assessed is the range of actions needed to increase the probability of successful external services. After completing the rating, the SSR will offer tailored and actionable practical guidance to enhance the missions’ sustainability level.
The SSR was developed in the last three years by the World Economic Forum, ESA, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, BryceTech and the University of Texas at Austin among others. Leading space actors, including Stellar, the Nihon University in Japan, and the Secure World Foundation have already joined the initiative.
