  Like any industry, space activities generate pressures on the environment and
strives towards more sustainable activities. A consensus among the European
industrial stakeholders and national agencies in the Space sector is emerging
on the need to address eco-design through the prism of the environmental Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. While the use of LCA is being implemented
within the sector, the current scope disregards the potential environmental
impact in term of debris generated by space missions on the orbital
environment. The paper highlights the relevance of applying LCA holistically
during the design phase of space systems, considering potential impacts
occurring in the orbital environment during the utilisation and disposal stages
of a space mission. Based on the comparison of two mission designs, the aim is
to consider potential emission of space debris into the LCA framework as a way
of measuring the resource security for orbits and potential environmental
impacts occurring in case of collision.

Space Physics