The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 affirms that “[t]he exploration and use of outer space [...] shall be carried out for the benefit of and in the interests of all countries, irrespective of their degrees of economic or scientific development, and shall be the province of all mankind.” [1].
As the world rediscovers its fascination with space and becomes ever more reliant on in-orbit technology, it is paramount that those operating in orbit ensure they are doing so ethically and in a sustainable manner so that the exploration and use of outer space truly remain the province of everyone.
This page is dedicated to researching the ways to practice sustainability in space when launching and operating a satellite in orbit. This non-exhaustive list pertains to satellites’ potential impact/effects on their environment that may or may not necessarily be related to the Canadian Satellite Design Competition (CSDC) requirements. Its goal is to minimize the risk of negative unintended consequences that may arise from launching a CubeSat into space.
Space is really cool, and it would be nice to do our part to make sure space stays cool for everyone.
The considerations table above contains five levels of severity: severe, dangerous, serious, manageable, and tolerable.
A severe rating would mean that the problem should be addressed as a top priority.
A dangerous rating would mean that the problem should be addressed as a medium priority.
A serious rating would mean that the problem should be addressed at a low priority.
A manageable rating would mean that the problem should be addressed, but may be neglected for time, resource, or complexity reasons.
A tolerable rating would mean that the problem doesn’t need to be addressed, but can be if time and resources allow.