ESA Awards Contract to OKAPI:Orbits and TU Braunschweig for Next Generation Space Debris Model

• ESA awards contract for next-generation space debris model: OKAPI:Orbits, in collaboration with Technische Universität Braunschweig, will develop the next iteration of ESA’s MASTER, the Agency’s reference model for the space debris environment.
• Advancing ESA’s zero debris approach: This initiative supports ESA’s goal of no net increase in space debris from its missions by 2030, a key component of ensuring long-term space sustainability.
• Enhanced modeling for safer and more sustainable missions: The updated MASTER model will incorporate new data and advanced capabilities to improve collision risk assessments and support safer, more sustainable space operations.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a contract to TU Braunschweig spin-off OKAPI:Orbits, in collaboration with the Institute of Space Systems from Technische Universität Braunschweig (TU Braunschweig), to develop the next-generation of ESA’s Space Objects Population Model (MASTER). This model serves as ESA’s reference for the space debris environment.

This initiative is crucial for advancing ESA’s Zero Debris approach, which aims to achieve no net increase in space debris from its missions by 2030. This approach is a cornerstone of space sustainability, focused on reducing collision risks and preventing the creation of hazardous orbital fragments. The MASTER model is essential in providing satellite operators and manufacturers with the necessary data to plan missions safely and sustainably, limiting the collision probability of objects larger than 1 cm to below 1 in 1000 during their orbital lifetime.

ESA, OKAPI:Orbits, and TU Braunschweig will address several key challenges in space debris modeling. This includes integrating diverse material sizes and shapes into debris models to accurately reflect changes in spacecraft material composition since the last release of the breakup model.

Furthermore, the activity will focus on revising and updating space debris environment models to incorporate both new and historical data, leading to improved design and operational guidelines for future missions. A significant focus will be on enhancing the model’s computational performance to effectively handle the increasing complexity of modern space traffic.

Finally, the project will evaluate the impacts of the upgrade model on both the full reference population of space objects and specific satellite missions to ensure compliance with evolving space traffic and sustainability standards.

TU Braunschweig, having worked on the topic of space debris since the 1970s and on modelling the space debris environment since the 1980s, brings decades of expertise to the partnership. This collaboration aims to revolutionize space debris modelling and enable safer and more sustainable operations for future missions.

This project also provides OKAPI:Orbits with a significant opportunity to enhance its capabilities, integrate new insights, and expand its solutions globally for both institutional and commercial stakeholders. It represents a significant step forward in the collective pursuit of innovation and sustainability in space, ensuring the safety and operational viability of orbital pathways crucial to modern society for generations to come.

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space. ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members. ESA has established formal cooperation with other four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions. Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int

About OKAPI:Orbits

OKAPI:Orbits provides comprehensive Space Traffic Management (STM) solutions designed to ensure the safety and optimization of space missions. Its AI-driven platforms deliver advanced Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and STM capabilities, maximizing in-orbit safety, promoting space sustainability, and optimizing satellite operations. OKAPI:Orbits offers end-to-end solutions, from pre-launch to end-of-life.

About TU Braunschweig

TU Braunschweig, Germany, is located in the heart of Europe‘s most research-intensive region. In interdisciplinary and cross-faculty research centers, TU Braunschweig has been working for years on the topics of the future. TU Braunschweig focuses on four core research areas: Mobility, Metrology, Engineering for Health, and Future City. The TU space research cluster covers the topics of space physics, geophysics, and space electronics with a focus on scientific research into the solar system, microgravity research, space debris, and the technology of instrumentation and probes.