A a priori, strange time to aim for the Moon again. Take each morning when the latest recent lunar feats were announced. Those of summer 2023 – Chandrayaan-3 [Inde]Luna-26 [Russie] – mobilized the media space in the same way as fires and periods of heatwave. Those of the last months, even Peregrine [Etats-Unis] or Chang'e-6 [Chine]were announced alongside the war in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Who knows alongside what news the Artemis II and III missions will be announced in the coming years? Obviously, the joint occupation of the media by space launches and climatic disasters is of concern. What place does space exploration have in a world that is warming up, both climatically and politically? How to explore the Moon in a world at +4°C?
The general public legitimately questions the interest of major space exploration programs in this context. Some participants in new space ambitions, both public and private, have heard this call: this is particularly the case of space agencies, such as the European Space Agency (ESA) or the National Center for Space Studies (CNES), which have launched a reflection on the environmental footprint of space activities in general, and exploration in particular. This is also the case for certain manufacturers in the space sector, who are beginning to reflect as engineers and stakeholders on the path to a more sustainable space.
Congestion orbitale
The questioning of the environmental footprint must be carried out in two complementary fields.
First there is that of engineering, because mitigating the environmental footprint of space activities is a question of technology: quantification of the pollution generated, on Earth, in the upper atmosphere and in space, improvement of systems and infrastructure – and their life cycle –, use of less harmful fuels, decarbonization policies, management of space debris, etc.
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Then there is the field of politics and citizens regarding the desired models and intensity of use of space. What lies beyond the sky is gained by questioning uses, particularly in the face of the challenges of orbital congestion, linked to megaconstellations and debris management, which is becoming more and more pressing. The turning point of new space [l’émergence de plusieurs start-up se lançant dans l’industrie et le commerce de l’espace] is an invitation to reflect on space policy models; a reflection in which new space is only one of the avenues, and not the only path to take.
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