Following the success of previous editions of the "Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment and Ecodesign of Space Systems" course, ESA seeks 12 motivated professionals who work for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the space sector to attend the March 2022 edition of the course. The training will be held by Deloitte and ESA online between Monday, 7 March and Thursday, 17 March 2022 (6 half days):

Monday, 7 March: 09:00 - 12:00 CET

Tuesday, 8 March: 09:00 - 12:00 CET

Wednesday, 9 March: 09:00 - 12:00 CET

Thursday, 10 March: 09:00 - 12:00 CET

Tuesday, 15 March: 09:00 - 12:00 CET

Thursday, 17 March: 09:00 - 12:00 CET

The course provides the latest information on ESA’s past, on-going and future activities in the field of environmental life-cycle assessment and ecodesign for space activities. Furthermore, participants will get an introduction to the Space System Life Cycle Assessment Guidelines and the LCA database developed at ESA.

This SME edition is financed by the Agency's SME Initiative which will cover the course fees for all participants.

In order to take part, participants must fulfill the following criteria at the time of registration:

• Work as a professional for a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise registered with ESA on relevant engineering or space-related topics
• Work for an SME registered in one of ESA's Member States, Associate States or Cooperating States
• Have some basic knowledge of space system design or some basic knowledge of life-cycle assessment

Participants are expected to attend the entire training course (6 half-days) which will be delivered online.

Successful applicants will be informed about their admission to the course by 20 February at the latest.

This course is an outstanding opportunity for space professionals to complement their expertise with insights into a vital aspect of future space missions and for LCA practitioners to gain an enhanced understanding of space specificities. 

ESA wants to equip the European space community with the knowledge and skills required to tackle environmental issues. Therefore, this training will help participants to gain awareness about the environmental challenges that our societies, in general, and the space sector, in particular, must face, and how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Ecodesign can help measure and mitigate the environmental impact of space systems.

More information about past courses is available here.

Module objectives:

Module #1: Key environmental challenges and approaches to address them

• Have an overview of the environmental challenges faced by our societies, including climate change and biodiversity loss
• Understand how our societies responded and which approaches are put in place to address those challenges
• Introduce the first definitions of LCA that will be developed in modules

Module #2a: Life Cycle Assessment of space systems

• Understand what are the specific environmental challenges of space systems
• Understand the key principles of LCA
• Understand why LCA is useful and how it can be applied in the space sector
• Have an overview of Clean Space activities on LCA
• Begin a simplified LCA using the tool developed by ADEME – French environment agency

Module #2b: Exercises

• Apply the methodological aspects developed during module 2a
• Finish the simplified LCA using the tool developed by ADEME
• Understand and interpret the environmental hotspots of the system studied
• Perform a more detailed LCA of a space mission

Module #3: Ecodesign of space systems

• Understand what ecodesign is, why it is useful to businesses and how it can be deployed in the space sector
• Have an overview of Clean Space activities on ecodesign

Module #1: Key environmental challenges and approaches to address them

1. Introduction to the environmental impacts of human activities
2. How our societies responded: a historical perspective
3. Tools & approaches deployed by industry to mitigate the impacts of human activities: CSR strategies, circular economy, …
4. Presentation of the first definitions of LCA and key principles of Life Cycle Thinking that will be developed in modules #3 and #4

Module #2a: Life Cycle Assessment of space systems

1. Main principles of Life Cycle Thinking
2. Presentation of LCA applied by other sectors
3. Presentation of the LCA methodology and specificities of LCA applied to the space sector
4. Introduction to the LCA tools developed by ESA: LCA guidelines and LCA database
5. Presentation of major past and current ESA LCA studies
6. Practical exercise: simplified LCA using ADEME’s tool Bilan Produit

Module #2b: Exercises

1. Finalisation of the simplified LCA
2. Discussion about the results of the simplified LCA and interpretation
3. Practical exercise: LCA of a space mission

Module #3: Ecodesign of space systems

1. What is ecodesign? What are the benefits of an ecodesign approach?
2. Ecodesign: how does it work?
3. Brainstorming on ecodesign options & preliminary evaluation
4. Practical exercise: design alternatives
5. Presentation of major past & current ESA ecodesign studies
6. Open discussion on implementation of ecodesign into space programmes and other projects performed by ESA

Deloitte & ESA

Participants are expected to attend the entire training course (6 half-days) as their course fees are fully covered by ESA. Cancellations will be accepted until 20 February 2022.