The Space Safety Coalition (SSC) has doubled the number of space companies who have endorsed SSC’s set of best practices since the organization’s inception in 2019, increasing to more than 50 global participants.
The SSC is the first-of-its-kind, global, ad hoc coalition that is dedicated to developing and maintaining a set of aspirational space safety best practices that continue to evolve based on the needs, threats and advancements in space technology. Coalition members include leading space operators, industry associations, and stakeholders from across the globe. The SSC’s best practices are applicable to all spacecraft, regardless of physical size, orbital regime and constellation size. These best practices directly incorporate existing guidance and standards published by entities including the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
The newest endorsees include: Space Micro Inc., Astro Dynamic Ltd., Slingshot Aerospace, LeoLabs Inc., and ClearSpace.
The SSC and its members are committed to continuing to publish, coordinate, and periodically update the SSC’s best practices in order to keep them strategically and operationally aligned with responsible space operations and the evolving understanding of the orbital debris environment, to address gaps in space governance, and promote better spacecraft design, operations, and disposal practices associated with long-term space operations sustainability.
“In light of the recent Russian ASAT incident, it is even more paramount that – collectively - we increase our attention and global coordination on space safety issues and protecting space as a critical infrastructure,” said Dan Oltrogge, administrator of the SSC. "By endorsing treaties, guidelines, and standards, spacecraft operators and stakeholders can collectively achieve the long-term sustainability of space operations — frequently improving upon minimum-accepted consensus levels."