GMV completes ESA project defining Zero Debris thresholds for future missions

GMV has successfully completed its participation in the ESA-funded project “ZD-THRESHOLDS – Space System Impact Analysis of Zero Debris Orbital Clearance and Vulnerability Thresholds for Future Missions”, a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening Europe’s capacity to maintain a safe, clean, and sustainable orbital environment.

The project was carried out within a consortium led by THALES, with GMV contributing with its extensive expertise in Space Situational Awareness (SSA), Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST), and Space Traffic Management (STM) to support the European Space Agency’s long-term Zero Debris objectives.

Funded under ESA’s Discovery & Preparation element of the Discovery, Preparation and Technology Development (DPTD) activities, the project provides analytical foundations to support future mission concepts, system design decisions, and the evolution of European space sustainability policies.

This work falls under the broader Zero Debris Initiative, which aims to significantly limit the generation of orbital debris and achieve debris-neutral space missions by 2030. Central to this initiative is the Zero Debris Charter, a global, community-driven framework defining shared principles and measurable objectives to mitigate space debris throughout the full mission lifecycle. The Charter is open to space agencies, industry, research institutions, and commercial stakeholders, and GMV signed it in 2024.

The primary objective of ZD-THRESHOLDS was to analyze, quantify, and assess the impact of Space Debris Mitigation (SDM) requirements on future space missions, with a particular focus on orbital clearance and spacecraft vulnerability thresholds. The project addressed one of the space sector’s most critical challenges today: ensuring mission sustainability while maintaining safety, operability, and resilience in increasingly congested orbital regimes.

GMV played a key role in the assessment of SDM orbital clearance requirements, analysing their applicability, limitations and impact on future mission architectures. The company also carried out advanced orbital environment simulations to identify realistic thresholds and constraints, such as maximum cumulative collision probability and maximum post-mission disposal time, and to assess the long-term evolution of active satellites and debris under different operational scenarios, while contributing to the review of current verification methods and to do recommendations for the future evolution of the SDM and Zero Debris frameworks.

The project outcomes provide valuable input for future ESA missions and European space programs, helping to translate Zero Debris principles into actionable engineering and operational guidelines.

Through its participation in ZD-THRESHOLDS, GMV reinforces its long-standing commitment to space sustainability and responsible space operations. The company continues to support European and international efforts in space safety, debris mitigation, orbital traffic coordination, and STM, contributing technologies and expertise that help safeguard the space environment for future generations.