The increasing concern for space sustainability among global governments and commercial space companies underscores the necessity of international cooperation to ensure space usability for future generations. Space is being used more and more for communication, navigation, and Earth observation, driven by the rise of mega constellations. This growth underscores the need to manage the risks these constellations and spent rocket bodies pose to operational satellites.Non-Earth imaging (NEI) began as a tool for space and intelligence organizations to achieve national security objects. Once initially restricted in the U.S, commercial companies can now provide NEI services, under the least restrictive commercial remote sensing NOAA licence (tier 1), as long as similar resolution is commercially available from a foreign entity. This movement has fostered the emergence of parallel use cases for NEI, importantly in space sustainability.Space, a limited and shared environment, requires careful management. Space sustainability depends on collaboration among commercial entities to understand and mitigate the constraints associated with space objects. Ignoring these threats risks losing space's availability for science, exploration, climate monitoring, security, communications, and other luxuries. At this critical juncture for establishing a circular space economy, NEI is emerging as a critical tool for ensuring space sustainability, enhancing understanding of space objects and activities in orbit. HEO’s satellite inspection web platform, HEO Inspect, has been instrumental in delivering NEI to identify space junk and monitor re-entering satellites, helping governments to ensure space sustainability and safety.
Daisuke SASAKI Y. (Thu,) studied this question.