Space Safety

ESA

Earth, with all of its diverse life forms, is unique in the Solar System. In order to protect our planet and also our space and ground infrastructure, the trajectories of objects in near-Earth space are continuously recorded and identified. These objects include active satellites and space debris. The semi-mobile radar observation system GESTRA is one of the world's most advanced space surveillance systems and can detect more than 200 objects per hour at a distance of several hundred kilometres.

Space safety involves all the measures necessary to ensure the functionality and protection of these essential infrastructures. Such measures include protection against collisions with space debris, such as burnt-out rocket stages or wreckage, which are increasingly accumulating in orbit and represent a threat to satellites and spacecraft. Furthermore, the motion of active satellites must also be controlled and monitored. In parallel, countermeasures must be taken to prevent cyberattacks on satellites and space stations that could disrupt or disable them. In addition, predicting space weather, such as solar storms, and taking protective measures is important because such events can also affect satellites and other technologies on the Earth's surface.

The challenge of the commercialisation of space

The increasing commercialisation of space and the growing number of players in the field are making it more and more important to draw up international regulations and agreements that enable safe and sustainable operations in orbit. Space safety concerns everyone – from research and development to companies and governments – and requires a concerted approach to ensure the continued safe and peaceful use of space in the future.

The German Space Agency at DLR contributes to achieving these goals. For example, it is developing proposals and visions for Space Traffic Management together with national and international players. In addition, it operates the Space Situational Awareness Centre, the national point of contact for operational space safety, together with the German Space Command of the Bundeswehr.

The Space Situational Awareness Centre in Uedem

Whether it is navigation, satellite communications or the internet, satellite-based infrastructure is indispensable for today's modern information society. But other areas, such as energy supply, banking and disaster relief, also rely on satellite-based services. These are now considered critical infrastructure and as such must be protected. This protection is provided by the German Space Agency at DLR, together with the Space Command of the German Armed Forces at the Space Situational Awareness Centre in Uedem.

Space Debris

Since the launch of the world's first satellite into orbit, space activities have led to a large number of objects being left behind in Earth orbit. Since then, the number of these objects has continued to increase. This space debris is an undesirable by-product of spaceflight because it not only obstructs it but can also lead to damage on the ground.

Hera – planetary defence against asteroid impacts

Asteroid impacts on Earth are a very rare natural disaster, but they can have serious consequences. It is therefore important to be equipped to deal with potentially dangerous asteroids. The Hera mission is investigating potential defensive measures against such celestial bodies in the future.

GESTRA

The German Experimental Surveillance and Tracking Radar (GESTRA) is a radar system for observing and tracking objects in space, such as satellites, spacecraft or space debris. This makes it possible, for example, to prevent collisions between space systems or the International Space Station ISS and debris by issuing a timely warning. According to estimates, more than 128 million tiny particles are currently in Earth orbit and, given their average speed of 28,000 kilometres per hour, pose a threat to existing space infrastructure.