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Objectives
The main objective of the project was to comprehensively assess the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of satellite communication systems, focusing on both geostationary (GEO) and non-geostationary (NGSO) orbits. This was achieved by integrating three assessments: direct life cycle environmental impacts (Tier 1, compared to equivalent ground-based systems), indirect environmental impacts enabled by satcom service use (Tier 2), and wider societal and economic effects, including rebound effects (Tier 3).
The project combined these findings to provide an overall evaluation of satcom’s contribution to sustainability, highlighting both the positive impacts—like operational efficiency and cost savings – and the negative ones, such as increased consumption, cybersecurity risks, and socio-technical lock-in. A secondary objective was to identify data gaps and propose measures to reduce environmental impacts. In fact, the project aimed to identify and characterise ecodesign and environmental mitigation measures to improve the environmental performance of satellite communication systems.
Challenges
Key challenges of Tier 1 assessment mainly included uncertainties involved in estimating launcher, user, and ground segment data. Key challenges of Tier 2 assessment involved difficulties in allocating environmental savings specifically to satcom, scaling results to functional units, and reliance on incomplete or potentially biased literature. Key challenges of Tier 3 included potential literature bias, uncertainty in quantifying negative socioeconomic impacts, and limited assessment of rebound effects.
Plan
The project was undertaken in 3 main tasks:
- Task 1: Tier 1 assessment
- Task 2: Tier 2 & 3 assessment
- Task 3: Overall assessment
Current Status
The project has been finalised and closed.
