Ibadan, 1 July 2024. – The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space, OHB and Thales Alenia Space each to develop large low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite platforms that conform to Zero Debris standards.
This aligns with the ESA’s commitment to deliver on the promise of Zero Debris by 2030. As a result, ESA is supporting the industry during the transition to ensure Europe can design and build compliant satellites in time. Consequently, the three companies will design and develop zero-debris platforms for large LEO satellites as a first step towards building zero-debris production lines.
ESA’s Operations and Earth Observation Directorates jointly procured the ‘Large LEO platforms evolution for Zero Debris Policy Implementation Phase 1’. The contracts with Airbus Defence and Space, OHB and Thales Alenia Space are key to developing Zero Debris-ready satellites in congested low Earth orbits. As such, each prime contractor will develop a standardized low-Earth orbit satellite platform adhering to the zero-debris standards.
The first phase aims to develop the satellite platform to the System Requirement Review (SRR) level and will take about 18 months from its kick-off in June 2024. During this phase, ESA will consider the main technical options and consequently establish a baseline design. Likewise, in Phase 2, the prime contractors will team up with further technology suppliers to integrate new solutions and get their platforms to the level of a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) that evaluates and tests various practical aspects of building the design.
Speaking on the development, Holger Krag, Head of Space Safety at ESA said, “It is essential to invest into the development of zero-debris compliant spacecraft platforms now. Platforms and their onboard debris prevention measures will have to become more failsafe to preserve the endangered lower Earth orbits for future use.”
