Among the five areas of innovation outlined in The European Space Agency’s (ESA) ‘Technology 2040 Vision’ document is ‘sustainable space.’
This includes creating a circular and sustainable space economy, ensuring light pollution and other factors are kept to a minimum, new propulsion and quantum technologies, the increased use of A.I., and more.
You can read more about the 13 areas of innovation that have been collected under the umbrella of ‘sustainable space,’ below:
- Circular and Sustainable Space Economy
This vision envisages space debris as an antiquated concept, with a circular economy ensuring that zero debris is left around the Earth. Instead, over 50% of the mass launched into space is recycled and the industry standard designs and launches satellites that have a neutral impact on Earth’s ecosphere.
The ESA is already a pioneer in sustainability due to eco-design and zero debris policies. However, there is still progress to be made, including minimising energy consumption, the use of rare materials and polluting processes. This will require a holistic approach across the entire project chain, technological breakthroughs, advanced processes and novel designs. Currently, most of the materials used to deploy a space system are disposed of a matter of hours, making reusable launch systems essential to any circular approach alongside standardised interfaces and interoperability to enable in-orbit services. This could lead to new design concepts, covering modular, repairable and reusable systems. In addition, there is a need to track and dispose of existing space debris which can be lethal to operational missions.
- Dark and Quiet Skies
This vision imagines everyday life having been revolutionised by resilient services form space, yet the global satellite constellations are all able to operate without detriment to the dark night skies required for astronomy form Earth out into the wider Universe. Whereas asteroids were once dubbed the ‘vermin of the sky’ this notion is now increasingly targeting satellites which can leave scratch-like signatures on optical and radio astronomy as they travel across the heavens.
Any expansion in the number of satellites needs to take account of astronomical research and the natural night sky. To achieve this will require the combined efforts of industry, research institutions and space agencies. Innovative technologies to provide advanced propulsion, quantum technologies for enhanced communication and data processing, and AI innovations will assist in delivering more efficient space operations as smart ground systems ensure missions are optimised from launch to completion.
- Innovative Propulsion
This technology vision has innovative propulsion systems bringing new destinations into reach. These new, more efficient propulsion technologies have opened up the possibility of new types of mission, including crewed and cargo missions into deep space with minimised environmental impacts. With increases in achievable velocities, so sending a probe to a neighbouring star becomes conceivable within a manageable human timescale – with journey times of mere generations, rather than centuries.
This advance uses Newton’s Third Law of Motion, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Although this principle dates back to the 17th Century, it still holds true for space travel as the application of force in one direction creates movement in the opposite direction, except new in-space propulsion technologies deliver improved performance, increased reliability, and flexibility. This theme also ties in with others such as Very Low Earth Orbit, Hypervelocity endeavours, Deep Space Power Generation, Advanced Manufacturing and Materials of the Future.
- Quantum Technologies
Here we see a vision of novel quantum sensors embedded in space-based networks of quantum devices, enabling new applications and scientific discoveries. Precise satellite navigation is delivered through laser-connected networks of atomic clocks and space-based quantum sensors measure gravity and electromagnetic fields for Earth observation, inertial navigation and fundamental physics. Quantum entanglement connects quantum computers, sensors or clocks, further boosting their performance and reach. The properties shown by quantum physics allow atoms or photons to act more like waves than particles. These behaviours are used by quantum technologies for more powerful computing, ultraprecise timing, secure information sharing and highly-sensitive sensors.
ESA has been developing quantum for a quarter of a century, with a long-term vision to create the next generation of quantum clocks and sensors that in turn deliver networks of quantum devices. These advances will enable scientific advances, improved space-based observation, and navigation.
- Advanced Manufacturing and Materials of the Future
This vision sees spacecraft performance and design revolutionised by additive manufacturing and novel materials. The use of AI and smart chemistry allow space missions to be designed to a molecular level with innovative materials designed to meet mission requirements and bio based processes designed to minimise terrestrial environmental impacts, while out-of-Earth manufacturing allows hardware to be constructed in space and on other planetary surfaces.
Materials have always been vital to space missions, and future missions are likely to rely on advances in materials science more than ever. Materials with tailored properties will open up novel functions and prospects for space exploration. The production of these materials will be enhanced by AI and machine learning to help select the most promising materials and design concepts, cutting the cost of development and testing. Advanced manufacturing will minimise the environmental impact of the space industry, improve efficiencies, and gather critical data for quality assurance, ensuring high performance and reliability while digital twins and virtual testing helps shorten development cycles.
- Digital Revolution for Space
This technology vision envisages the space sector reshaped by digital transformation as all space engineering, operations and downstream activities are permeated by digitalisation to create formal traceability, analysis, data exchange and round-trip engineering across disciplines, lifecycle phases and supply chains. Supported by advanced modelling, optimisation, simulation and visualisation technique, high-fidelity digital twin representations of systems and the space environment enables cost reduction, quality improvements and advanced analytics across the space ecosystem.
Digitalisation involves taking digital data and using it to form the basis of improvements through the application of tools such as AI, machine learning and model-based system engineering. This requires the creation of an interoperable digital thread made up of distinct digital artefacts and data sources, supported by advances in ‘semantic ontologies’ to power digital twin representations of space systems. Generative design approaches and large language models help optimise domains and AI and VR guides physical human movement in the real-world to enhance assembly and testing.
- AI-Driven Innovations in Space Technologies
This vision sees AI integrated into engineering, operation and exploitation of space missions, surpassing human involvement and providing a transformative leap forward, enabling new missions, shortening the time to launch, lowering operational costs and supporting the rapid development of applications to process the ever-rising ‘space data lake.’
By applying AI to the entire mission lifecycle it will be possible to shorten hardware and software verification times while enhancing performance and reliability. New in-orbit capabilities will also be opened up by AI, including in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing. AI will also help manage space assets as well as automating health monitoring and increasing onboard autonomy.
AI will also be able to analyse large-scale datasets, enhance the performance and reliability of satellite systems, and accelerate space exploration by offering cognitive assistance to astronauts and making crewed spacecraft systems more autonomous and performant.
- Security for Space Systems
This vision has security protection mechanisms adapted to a dynamic environment of novel mission concepts and services, more complex space system architecture, and evolving threat scenarios to ensure that Europe’s space assets always remain under European control, making the billions of Euro’s invested in infrastructure a safe investment.
Although we may imagine that a satellite’s distance from Earth makes it safe from interference, tests undertaken by the US Air Force in 2023 demonstrated that it was possible to hack into a satellite from Earth. In real life, this could allow attackers to compromise or misuse a system, access protected information or disrupt operations. Security measures need to evolve in line with emerging technologies and threats, covering areas such as physical, cybersecurity, cryptographic related, and surveillance security. Creating standardised security products should drive technology development and benefit multiple concepts and missions.
- Resilient Space Systems
This vision has satellites being engineered to withstand adverse natural or human-made conditions so as to maintain their essential operational capabilities, even when damaged. Having been designed with consideration of worst-case scenarios, these assets are able to recover from environmental changes and continue to operate. To achieve this, there will be secure and traceable supply chains that allow us to reliably design, produce, utilise and dispose of satellites, along with new ways to ensure information security throughout the entire supply chain prototypes or subsystems.
In addition, there will be accurate and available space situational awareness, including space weather measurement and modelling, space object tracking and communications monitoring to prevent jamming and spoofing of satellites and other instruments. Redundant elements and countermeasures will insure against failure as tools and techniques for reliability have advanced. This theme is also closely linked to the sustainable use of space, and the disposal of assets after their end of life, because the resilience of space systems is ultimately dependent on the condition of their surrounding environment.
- Deep Space Power Sources
Space exploration is opened up in this vision so it is no longer constrained by the darkness and cold at the edges of the Solar System. Deep space power sources permit missions to penetrate into the darker regions that are illuminated by just 1-3% of the sunlight experienced by the Earth’s orbit and where the temperatures are just a couple of dozen degrees Celsius above absolute zero.
Solar energy has been integral to the functioning of satellites and spacecraft since the start of the Space Age. Advances have seen silicon semiconductors supplanted by gallium arsenide and gallium nitride, providing higher power levels while multiple layers of cells are routinely stacked atop each other and tuned to differing bands of the light spectrum.
However, current technologies are experiencing limitations. For example, ESA’s Juice mission to Jupiter is using 24,000 solar cells across 85 square metres of solar arrays, yet only produces the equivalent power of a hair dryer once it reaches the Jupiter system. To achieve deep space exploration we will need to combine several power sources as well as advancing solar array technology, power storage, and battery technologies. Combined with solid oxide fuel cells, nuclear electric propulsion, and radioisotope heater units that maintain thermal control in cold environments via radioactive decay, these advances will push the boundaries of space exploration further.
- More for Less: Technologies for Cost Reduction
In this vision the cost of space exploration has reduced dramatically due to the use of capable virtual models, standardisation and automated series production. With lower development, production and testing costs spacecraft are now able to do more for less cost, resulting in vastly increased yet more affordable space capabilities.
Space missions are expensive and are prone to cost increases as development times are stretched. The benefits can take years to materialise in terms of scientific returns or services and sometimes are never realised at all due to a lack of budget or increasing costs. To improve this it is vital to deliver a better value-for-cost ratio, by either increasing the amount of benefits or by reducing the cost and duration of development, production, launch and operations. Of course, better still, we should aim to achieve both at once.
Novel materials, equipment and configurations will enable missions to do more, while more efficient and effective design techniques enabled by AI, VR, advanced digital modelling and standardisation of interfaces and products will speed up engineering iterations and allow faster convergence to the most optimal design. Advanced automated production and more efficient test methods will also shorten production times.
- Smart Operations Ground Segment
This vision imagines spacecraft operating with smarter and more sophisticated ground segments than ever before, allowing for fully autonomous and secure operations for European assets in space. This enables seamless access, unprecedented data downlink rates and mission destinations as well as ‘distributed’ missions made up of multiple individual platforms in space.
Space missions are only made possible because of the ground segment and as the number of missions increase their system architectures are becoming increasingly complex. To keep up with the needs of missions, continuous advancement in ground segment systems is required, allowing for resilient semi to fully autonomous spacecraft operations that incorporate AI and cybersecurity. Systems will be interconnected as human/machine interfaces facilitate more intuitive and efficient operations. Data streams of information will be relayed back to Earth via ‘trunk lines’ of spacecraft around moons and planets. In addition, space debris will be monitored and mitigated against, with the addition of low-cost, active debris removal.
- Planetary Protection for Sustainable and Responsible Space Exploration
This final vision for ‘sustainable space’ brings together a combination of crewed and robotic missions to significantly increase humanity’s presence in outer space. With a sustained presence on the Moon, crewed missions to Mars and searches for life on Mars and the Icy Worlds, we are now exploring the Solar System like never before. This new era places planetary protection at its core with sustainable and responsible space exploration.
Since the 1967 United Nations’ Outer Space Treaty Articles VI and IX, it has been a priority to not compromise the Earth’s biosphere through the return of unsterilised material from outer space. This needs to continue to protect both Earth and the environments that we explore, with advances in planetary protection advancing in concert with increased exploration. Taking account of biological as well as chemical contamination through the use of non-cultured, DNA-based technologies, aided by AI, to predict contamination and develop new statistical models will enable a move from prescriptive to more risk-based approaches.
You can find out more about ESA’s ‘Technology 2040 Vision’ here:
https://www.esa-technology-broker.co.uk/news/2025/esas-technology-2040-vision
You can see the ESA Technology Vision 2040, in full here:
https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/technology/Technology_2040.pdf