New coalition aims to make space travel safer, sustainable

Maui, HI — More than 30 organizations have joined to form the Space Safety Coalition, with the goal of developing and maintaining “a set of ‘living’ space-safety best practices.”

Unveiled Sept. 18 at the 20th annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference, the coalition’s objectives include minimizing deaths resulting from spaceship or debris reentry, eliminating launch and orbit collisions, and long-term sustainability of space operations.

On Sept. 16, the coalition published a paper to “address gaps in current space governance and promote better spacecraft design, operations and disposal practices aligned with long-term space operations sustainability.” The paper looks at the current international treaties, standards and guidelines, and includes more than 40 additional requirements.

“There are things that are feasible that operators and industry can do to help protect our environment and long-term sustainability of space,” Dan Oltrogge, director of the Center for Space Standards and Innovation, says in an SSC video.