DLR Initiative S3D: Advancing Space Sustainability and Sustainable Development

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has launched the S3D initiative, aimed at advancing the assessment and enhancement of sustainability in space activities. While recent years have seen growing attention to the environmental impacts of spacecraft and launch vehicles, S3D seeks to extend this perspective by integrating economic and social dimensions, transitioning from traditional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to a more comprehensive Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). A practice that is already established in other industries.

In addition to developing an LCSA process tailored for space activities, this initiative places particular emphasis on the impact of launch vehicle emissions in the upper atmosphere. This focus is driven by significant knowledge gaps and the potential for these emissions to be a major contributor to the climate impact of space transport activities. Substantial uncertainties remain with regard to the exact chemical composition of the exhaust, the post-combustion processes within the plume as well as the formation of particles such as black carbon. Moreover, there is a critical lack of data on the atmospheric effects of these gas and particle emissions at higher altitudes. To address these challenges, S3D will leverage the expertise of specialized DLR institutes in space systems, aerothermodynamics, propulsion, and atmospheric sciences to better characterize launch emissions and their atmospheric impacts.

This presentation will introduce the S3D initiative, outline the methodological approaches under development, and present initial findings on the exhaust profiles of various launch vehicle designs, along with progress toward creating a comprehensive exhaust inventory for 2024.