Catalog

Technical programme

IAC-26 — 77th International Astronautical Congress

A6. 24th IAA SYMPOSIUM ON SPACE DEBRIS

The Symposium will address the complete spectrum of issues associated to space debris, including orbital sustainability and operations in debris dominated environment. It will cover every aspect of Space Environment Management (SEM) including Mitigation and Remediation measures, Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST), Space Situational Awareness (SSA), Space Traffic Management (STM), including all aspects of measurements, modelling, risk assessment in space and on the ground, re-entry, hypervelocity impacts and protection, mitigation and standards, post-mission disposal, remediation, debris removal, Space Surveillance, collision avoidance as well as non-technical topics associated to space debris dominated environment such as space ethics.

Coordinator

Mark A. Skinner
The Aerospace Corporation — United States

Noelia Sanchez Ortiz
Arribes Enlightenment — Spain

A6.1. Space Debris Measurements and Orbit Determination SST (1)

This session will address all aspects related to the measurement of space objects and orbit determination. It will cover both ground-based and space-based techniques, as well as methods for identification and characterization of objects. Special attention will be given to data processing, orbit accuracy, and strategies to improve coverage and reliability of surveillance and tracking networks.

Co-Chair

Thomas Schildknecht
SwissSpace Association — Switzerland

Mark A. Skinner
The Aerospace Corporation — United States

Rapporteur: Dmitriy Grishko
Bauman Moscow State Technical University — Russian Federation

A6.2. Resident Space Objects Characterisation and High Velocity Impacts

This session will focus on the detailed characterization of resident space objects (RSO), including small debris and angular motion determination through estimation, simulation, and experimentation. It will also explore phenomena associated with high-velocity impacts, protection and shielding tests, and fragmentation simulations, with the objective of evaluating risks and effects on operational spacecraft.

Co-Chair

Satomi Kawamoto
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) — Japan

Zizheng Gong
Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering, China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) — China

Rapporteur: Yukihito Kitazawa
JAXA — Japan

A6.3. Environment Modelling and Risk Assessment

This session will cover the modelling of the space debris environment and the assessment of associated risks. Topics will include collision risk analyses, estimations based on population models and deterministic catalogues, as well as studies on the reconstruction of break-up and fragmentation events. The session will also address validation of models through observations and laboratory experiments, aiming to improve the prediction of orbital environment evolution. It will also examine methods for assessing orbital capacity and congestion, including indicators for orbital slot usage, and impact of allocation strategies on population dynamics. The combined perspective of environmental modelling and capacity management provides a comprehensive view of the long-term sustainability of the orbital environment.

Co-Chair

Dan Oltrogge
COMSPOC Corp. — United States

Carmen Pardini
ISTI-CNR — Italy

Rapporteur: Camilla Colombo
Politecnico di Milano — Italy

A6.4. Operations in Congested Space: Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management – SSA

This session will examine operations within the framework of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Traffic Management (STM). It will address strategies and systems for enhancing satellite operational safety, artificial intelligence applications in SSA, collision avoidance manoeuvres, and coordination of operations in large LEO constellations (LLC). Emphasis will be placed on data integration and international cooperation to ensure the safe management of the orbital environment.

Co-Chair

Andrew Monham
EUMETSAT — Germany

Vincent Martinot
Thales Alenia Space France — France

Rapporteur: Darren McKnight
LeoLabs — United States

A6.5. Post Mission Disposal and Space Debris Removal – SEM

This session will focus on space debris mitigation and remediation strategies, including Post-Mission Disposal (PMD) and Active Debris Removal (ADR) techniques and technologies (both ground and space-based). A particular focus will be given to in-orbit demonstration missions, ADR mission design and analysis, and rendezvous and proximity operations incorporating GNC and robotics aspects. The goal is to assess the feasibility, safety, and efficiency of these solutions to reduce on-orbit risks.

Co-Chair

Christophe Bonnal
MaiaSpace — France

Roberto Opromolla
University of Naples "Federico II" — Italy

Rapporteur: Jason Forshaw
Astroscale Ltd — United Kingdom

A6.6. Orbit Propagation and Mitigation Assessment

This session will address the study of orbital dynamics of space objects, the development of propagation techniques, and long-term environment simulations, including aspects related with space ethics. It will assess the effectiveness of various mitigation measures and evaluate the impacts of different population evolution scenarios. Outcomes will support the definition of guidelines for sustainable management of Earth orbits.

Co-Chair

Marlon Sorge
The Aerospace Corporation — United States

Tim Flohrer
European Space Agency (ESA) — Germany

Rapporteur: Jan Siminski
ESA - European Space Agency — Germany

A6.7. Re-entry Modelling and Interaction with Atmosphere

This session will discuss atmospheric re-entry modelling and its interaction with the atmosphere. It will cover prediction and safety aspects, analysis of atmospheric break-up processes (both mechanical and thermal), and experimental testing. The session will also consider the environmental impact of re-entry, including pollution and potential effects on aviation safety. Advances in models and prediction tools will be presented.

Co-Chair

Ysolde PREVEREAUD
ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab — France

Stijn Lemmens
European Space Agency (ESA) — The Netherlands

Rapporteur: Pierre Omaly
Astroscale France SAS — France

A6.8-E9.1. Policy, Legal, Institutional, Economic and Security Aspects of Debris Mitigation, Debris Remediation and STM

This session will address all non-technical aspects of debris mitigation, debris remediation and STM. Papers may focus on aspects of responsibility, liability and registration, on the role of bodies such as UNCOPUOS or IADC, as well as on insurance, financial incentives and funding. In addition, security-related aspects and the role of international cooperation in addressing these issues may be considered.

Co-Chair

David Spencer
The Aerospace Corporation — United States

Serge Plattard
University College London (UCL) — United Kingdom

Tanja Masson-Zwaan
International Institute of Air and Space Law, Leiden University — The Netherlands

Andrea Capurso
LUISS Guido Carli University — Italy

Rapporteur

Victoria Samson
Secure World Foundation — United States

Emma Kerr
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) — United Kingdom

A6.9. Space Debris Measurements and Orbit Determination SST (2)

Co-Chair

Fabrizio Piergentili
Sapienza University of Rome — Italy

Juan Carlos Dolado Perez
Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) — France

A6.10-B4.10. Joint Small Satellite/Space Debris Session on Small Satellite Operations for the Sustainability of Space

This session facilitates bilateral discussions between Small Satellite and Space Debris communities for shared understanding of the challenges/issues and to promote practical small satellite solutions for the long-term sustainability of space. It will include topics such as, but not limited to: - Small satellite constellations operations, sustainability, post-mission disposal and de-orbiting - Small-satellite missions: Lessons learned in the LEOP phase and in small satellite identification in early operational phase - Debris risk mitigation and Space Traffic Management technologies for small satellites and constellations - Small satellites for Post Mission Disposal, In-orbit servicing and support to sustainability actions and Space Traffic Management - Capacity and slotting for small satellite constellations - Lessons learned from sustainability and debris mitigation actions for small satellite missions and constellations - Active Debris Removal missions and rendezvous and docking missions. - Small satellite technology related to space sustainability - Best practice in implementing sustainability on very small spacecraft.

Co-Chair

Paolo Marzioli
Sapienza University of Rome — Italy

Philip Davies
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) — United Kingdom

Rapporteur: Norman Fitz-Coy
University of Florida — United States

A6.IP. Interactive Presentations - 24th IAA SYMPOSIUM ON SPACE DEBRIS

This session offers a unique opportunity to deliver your key messages in an interactive presentation on any of the subjects of Space Debris addressed in the classic Sessions. The presentation will be displayed on a digital screen in a dedicated location and available for view by all Congress attendees for the entire Congress week. In addition, one afternoon is dedicated exclusively for the attendees to view the Interactive Presentations, and the author will be assigned a specific ten minute slot to personally present the topic and interact with the attendees present. The Interactive Presentation may take advantage of all electronic display capabilities, such as: PowerPoint charts, embedded hot links, pictures, audio and video clips etc. An award will also be presented to the author of the best Interactive Presentation in the A Category at a special ceremony. An Abstract that follows the standard format must be submitted by the deadline for standard IAC abstracts.

Co-Chair

Melissa Zemoura
Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) — France

Emma Kerr
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) — United Kingdom

Rapporteur

Roberto Opromolla
University of Naples "Federico II" — Italy

Paolo Marzioli
Sapienza University of Rome — Italy