Implementation of debris mitigation using International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards

Abstract

The International Organization for Standardization's Technical Committee ‘Aircraft and Space Vehicles’ Sub-Committee ‘Space Systems and Operations’ (known as ISO TC20/SC14) has been engaged in the development of standards since 1992, covering all aspects of space system manufacture and operation. Since 2003, ISO TC20/SC14 has been developing standards to help minimize the creation of orbital debris during the launch, operation, and disposal of space systems. This activity builds on a number of guidelines and recommendations on debris mitigation have been agreed in recent years. In particular, through the efforts of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Co-ordination Committee (IADC), which represents ten national space agencies and the European Space Agency, consensus was reached in 2002 on guidelines, containing measures to be taken to reduce the growth of orbiting space debris. The ISO standards will capture industry best practices and specify specific actions to be taken by satellite manufacturers and operators to comply with requirements, which are based on topics covered in the guidelines recommended by the IADC. The current paper describes the ISO process for developing space debris mitigation standards, and gives an overview of the current status.