Mot cirkulär ekonomi för rymd: Satellitåteranvändningens roll

Driven by innovation and cost reductions, the space industry is experiencing rapid growth. The proliferation of human-made objects launched into Earth orbits presents significant environmental challenges. If not properly addressed, continued growth at the current rate could lead to negative impacts both in space and on Earth. The space industry has begun exploring sustainable practices, though most efforts focus on addressing issues that are related to the space environment. This neglects the impact on Earth and its atmosphere. Progress has been made in reuse of rocket bodies, however the benefits of satellite reuse remain largely disregarded. For example, the environmental impact of satellite constellations that are currently designed with large amounts of single use satellites, is still underexplored. This underscores the critical research gap in understanding the fast-growing space industry’s impact on the environment and advancing knowledge related to satellite reuse. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to explore satellite reuse and its contribution to space sustainability. The research starts by exploring how the fast-growing space industry impacts the environment and then examines if satellite reuse could help mitigate this impact. It ends with asking why satellite reuse is not yet widespread. The research in this thesis employs a mixed-method approach, starting with industry expert interviews to gain insight into the current state of practice for satellite reuse. Building upon these interviews, two scoping studies were conducted to further the understanding on how satellite reuse could be achieved. The findings emphasize the importance for the space industry to initiate an industrial transformation and develop sustainability-driven innovation rather than having a focus on mostly commercial gains. The absence of necessary practices and technologies for satellite reuse have been identified in three critical building blocks: (1) reverse logistics systems to retrieve and process satellites for reuse, (2) design practices that enable reuse, and (3) business models that ensure financial viability. Focusing on these three areas can advance sustainable practices in the space industry and could contribute to the mitigation of its negative environmental impact. The presented findings can provide valuable insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders, to rethink practices and to prioritize sustainability in space activities.