ESG & Sustainability Framework
How is sustainability judged in an industry that can pollute its own operating environment?
Chapter summary
Space supports sustainable development (climate monitoring, broadband for the 2.6 billion people still offline), but launch emissions and orbital debris are material ESG concerns. The chapter sets out a weighted scoring method, with orbital stewardship carrying the most weight.
Key takeaways
- 1
ESA's 2025 Space Environment Report finds debris growth is self-sustaining even without new launches.
- 2
Launch cadence rises from 329 launches in 2025 towards 500+ a year by 2030, making launch footprint material.
- 3
The ESA Zero Debris Charter commits signatories to no new debris from their missions by 2030.
Keep reading with Space access
This chapter (6 exhibits, 2,827 words) is part of Space & aerospace. Space access opens every chapter of all 11 Space reports, with the interactive models, Excel downloads, Ask and named Atlas records.
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