Journal of Space Safety Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Foundations and current status of space safety","authors":"Tommaso Sgobba","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.04.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Space safety is a multidisciplinary field encompassing the protection of human life, the preservation of orbital and terrestrial environments, and the safeguarding of space infrastructure on which modern society increasingly depends. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field, organized around its principal domains. It begins by establishing the conceptual foundations: the nature of safety as the management of risk to an acceptable level, the distinction between objective safety and safety perception, and the diversity of safety fields, from crew protection aboard human-rated vehicles, to public safety during launch and re-entry, to the growing threats of orbital debris and environmental risk from space operations.</div><div>The article reviews the safety record of human spaceflight, contextualizing historical fatality statistics and identifying the organizational lessons that transformed NASA’s approach to safety governance following the Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia accidents. A dedicated section synthesizes the principles of system safety engineering and management i.e., risk-based design, hazard analysis, failure tolerance/avoidance, safety review panels, and technical authority, together with the institutional frameworks needed to apply them in commercial programs, including the case for a regulated self-policing Space Safety Institute modeled on analogous institutions in maritime (Classification Societies) nuclear and offshore energy sectors.</div><div>Subsequent sections address launch safety, from ground operations and flight termination systems through the emerging use of autonomous systems, and the growing threat of orbital debris, including the risk of debris instability in certain low Earth orbit bands. Concurrently, the active space objects population is growing exponentially. The emerging satellite mega-constellations have made traditional human-in-the-loop collision avoidance unsustainable, driving the use of autonomous onboard avoidance systems, while the presence of uncoordinated military assets in congested orbits points to the need for a density-triggered coordination framework applicable to all operators. Re-entry risks to public on ground and to aviation are examined in detail, including the challenge of designing satellites to demise and the underappreciated atmospheric impacts of large-scale constellation re-entries. The article concludes with an analysis of space search and rescue, from the existing framework for launch abort recovery through the demanding technical and governance requirements of on-orbit and lunar rescue operations. Across all domains, the article emphasizes that space safety is an international responsibility requiring harmonized standards, interoperable systems, and coordinated governance structures commensurate with the global nature of the risks involved.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 288-302"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148314644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Field trial of LunaSAR: Evaluating a resilient emergency communications system for future lunar search and rescue service","authors":"Mark Rice,&nbsp;Feng Rice,&nbsp;Khoa Nguyen,&nbsp;Saeed Ur Rehman,&nbsp;Jon Clarke,&nbsp;Andrew Barton","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.03.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.03.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Future lunar missions necessitate resilient and reliable communications systems to support astronaut safety in the Moon's challenging environment. This paper describes initial field trial results from an emergency communications system to assist future Lunar Search and Rescue. This forms part of an international effort towards the standardisation of LunaSAR, a potential future component within the LunaNet architecture which is being developed to provide Artemis with communications and navigation interoperability. South Australia has vast areas of remote and harsh terrain with limited infrastructure, suitable for simulating the Lunar environment. Several test sites were surveyed for emergency scenarios with low radio interference. To evaluate the effectiveness of the novel communications technology, test cases were developed to support lunar scenarios based on inputs from the NASA Search and Rescue Office which is observing the project for potential future applications for crewed lunar exploration.</div><div>The demonstration system uses an innovative low power radio technology, tested with the Medium Earth Orbiting (MEO) Galileo satellites used for the Cospas-Sarsat (C/S) Search and Rescue (SAR) system. This is the first demonstration of the LunaSAR scenario with two-way voice and text over the allocated 406 MHz band. This is a step towards improved safety for astronauts during Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA) when long-term human presence is established on the lunar surface.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 278-284"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148571023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Distribution of energy spectra of nuclei cosmic rays in the energy range E = 1 MeV/nucleon to 1000 MeV/nucleon in spacecraft orbits","authors":"Valentina Grichshenko,&nbsp;Alibi Baden,&nbsp;Aigerim Kalybekova,&nbsp;Assemkhan Mukushev","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.04.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The main objective of this work is to identify anomalies in the energy spectra of cosmic ray nuclei during proton events. Energy spectra of cosmic ray nuclei were obtained from data collected by the GOES and ACE spacecraft between November 11, 1997 to September 13, 2005. The experimental data were approximated by a power function of cosmic ray nuclei rigidity. For this purpose, calculations were performed for the energy spectra of H, C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Si, S and Fe cosmic ray nuclei in the energy range from <em>E</em> = 1 MeV/nucleon to 1000 MeV/nucleon for various events.</div><div>A new phenomenon was discovered: an intersection and bend in the energy spectrum of cosmic ray nuclei in near-Earth space in the energy range from 8 to 22 MeV/nucleon during proton events. The energies at the intersection point (E_p) of the energy spectra, which correspond to the stability point of the cosmic ray nucleus flux, were determined, which depend on the Z of the nuclei. The mechanism of interaction between cosmic ray fluxes in near-Earth space during proton events is discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 373-383"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148571029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Perspectives for future space biomedical research to ensure crew health and performance for future human space exploration missions beyond Low-Earth Orbit, a multidisciplinary approach","authors":"L. Vicente Martínez,&nbsp;M. Komorowski,&nbsp;G. Calvet,&nbsp;E. Chabani,&nbsp;M. Trousselard,&nbsp;M. Diamond,&nbsp;B. Bolmont,&nbsp;C. Clot,&nbsp;T. Varlet,&nbsp;F. Rufin,&nbsp;L. Boyer,&nbsp;A. Berthier,&nbsp;A. Paillet","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.09.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.09.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To advance Space Exploration, key players across the Space Sector have launched initiatives to boost scientific research and technology development, increasing the Technology Readiness Level. The Spaceship France team from French Space Agency (CNES) was created in 2019 to support these efforts in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA). In November 2023, SpaceshipFR from CNES and the French Institute for Space Medicine and Physiology (MEDES) hosted a 2-day workshop to develop a roadmap for research on astronaut health and performance for deep space exploration missions. Emphasis was placed on fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together experts from diverse fields such as medicine, space science, engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, and human factors. A variety of methodologies were used to tap into the collective intelligence of participants for generating innovative ideas. The outcome of the workshop was the identification of six pivotal topics, including the development of an integrated intelligent health support system, the creation of an astronaut digital twin combined with AI for health, augmented astronaut solutions, individual and collective behavioural health and performance initiatives, and exploration of hibernation possibilities. Each area addresses specific facets of medical challenges anticipated during Moon or Mars missions, with a focus on leveraging cutting-edge technologies. Following the workshop, teams of experts were formed to develop projects based on these themes. This research roadmap serves as a blueprint for advancing biomedical research and medical capabilities, vital for long-term space mission success and sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 413-423"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148571879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"IAC 2026 ANTALYA","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S2468-8967(26)00076-5","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S2468-8967(26)00076-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 2","pages":"Page I"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148571886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Discernment of risks and safety considerations for overland space launches in Australia: A CEC approach","authors":"Mustapha Chahine ,&nbsp;Christina Dunker ,&nbsp;Carlos Rendo","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.05.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As commercial space launch operations expand further in Australia, identifying, understanding, and mitigating the risks associated with launch overflight is essential to ensure public safety. Historically, launch facilities have been sited to minimise the risk to the public by positioning for launch over the ocean where no permanent population centres are present. The risks from launch activities are greatest closest to the launch point, and significant focus is generally placed on this area. However, risk of failure is still present until the end of the propulsive portion of the flight and later failures can result in debris falling a significant distance from the launch point. The Australian population is concentrated on the coast limiting launch site options due to risk close to the launch point. Launching from and over Australia’s vast and sparsely populated inland areas presents both opportunities and challenges. While conventionally uninhabited inland areas may lower risk from failures early in the trajectory, the presence of remote communities, critical transport infrastructure, and protected environmental sites within the flight corridor introduce greater complexities in ensuring public safety.</div><div>This paper explores the application of Conditional Expected Casualty (CEC) as a key metric to assess, quantify, and manage the consequences of overland launches from Australian launch sites. CEC is not treated as a complete measure of public risk; rather, it quantifies expected casualties given the occurrence of specified failure events. Simulations of a generic small expendable launch vehicle, developed by analysing parameters such as population density, launch vehicle performance, failure trajectories, debris survivability, and overflight timing give insights into how the mission design can be adapted to provide a conservative measure of conditional expected casualties, given a failure. The findings provide valuable insights, not only for launch service providers, but also for launch site providers and regulators. Using CEC as a decision-making tool can be crucial in enabling sustainable launch operations and maintaining operational feasibility, all while sustaining public trust and regulatory approvals. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of this measure allows Australia’s growing space sector to balance operational efficiency with commercial growth, without compromising public safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 329-339"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148433036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temporal misalignment under delayed supervision in lunar surface operations","authors":"Ralph Figueroa","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.05.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.05.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lunar surface operations will rely on delayed ground supervision, creating a safety-relevant mismatch between local hazard conditions and the state available to remote decision support. This paper provides a timing-sensitive analytical method for evaluating that mismatch through two coupled constructs: hazard drift, defined as divergence between the current local hazard-intensity index and its delayed representation, and decision fidelity, defined as the degree to which a judgment formed on aged information still matches local conditions at execution. These constructs are integrated into a temporal misalignment metric and examined using parametric Monte Carlo simulation across low-tempo, transitional, and high-tempo operational regimes. Results show that supervisory relevance degrades systematically as communication delay and hazard tempo increase together, even in the absence of hardware failure or procedural deviation. An illustrative lunar EVA scenario demonstrates that short delays may remain tolerable in slower tasks but become safety-consequential when local conditions evolve more rapidly. The paper provides a compact mission-assurance method for identifying when delayed supervision no longer provides a sufficiently current basis for risk-informed operational support during lunar surface operations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 303-315"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148571025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leveraging non-traditional sensors for enhanced reentry tracking and impact prediction: A collaborative approach","authors":"Ed Betar,&nbsp;Mariel Borowitz,&nbsp;Nathaniel Shearer","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.03.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.03.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing frequency of uncontrolled satellite and rocket body reentries presents a challenge for global space situational awareness and public safety. While existing space surveillance networks provide valuable tracking and prediction capabilities, the complexities of tracking objects in very low earth orbits and throughout the atmosphere can reduce the certainty of predictions for re-entering object. Systems that can provide additional verification of re-entry and impact locations are needed to help improve our understanding of the issue. This will ultimately help to mitigate the risk of these re-entering objects, enhance response times, and improve the ability for civil agencies to respond to any re-entry event. This paper, a joint effort by the Australian Space Agency and the U.S. Office of Space Commerce, explores the use of non-traditional sensors—such as weather radars, seismic monitoring networks, and infrasound arrays—as complementary assets to existing space tracking capabilities.</div><div>By leveraging infrastructure already in place for terrestrial applications, these sensor networks can provide a critical means for validating re-entry predictions, refining impact assessments, and corroborating TIP messages from the 18th Space Control Squadron (SPCS). These internationally dispersed sensors can strengthen international collaboration in space situational awareness, particularly within the Asia-Pacific region, where diverse geographies and national capabilities offer opportunities for cooperative data sharing and improved hazard mitigation.</div><div>The paper will outline case studies demonstrating the effectiveness of such sensors, discuss integration strategies with existing space surveillance frameworks, and propose mechanisms for enhancing cross-agency coordination. By utilizing a more distributed and collaborative monitoring approach, we can improve re-entry tracking capabilities, support timely responses from civil authorities, and contribute to a safer and more sustainable space environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 363-372"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148571028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Delay-informed decision authority for lunar operations: A unified lunar quality framework","authors":"Ralph Figueroa","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.03.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustained lunar operations must function safely under communication delay, partial observability, environmental degradation, and intermittent human supervision. Governance models derived from terrestrial and low Earth orbit missions assume real-time oversight and rapid verification cycles, assumptions that become invalid under lunar latency and evidence aging. Communication delay separates decision timing from hazard progression, while environmental stressors degrade telemetry reliability before remote verification can occur.</div><div>This paper presents a delay-informed decision authority architecture grounded in the Unified Lunar Quality Framework. The framework integrates authority allocation, verification timing, evidence confidence, and hazard progression into a unified decision system explicitly constrained by communication delay. Time-dependent relationships determine when verification remains feasible, when evidence confidence becomes insufficient for remote oversight, and when authority must transition from Earth-based control to crew or autonomous systems.</div><div>A Mars rover case study illustrates how governance failures emerge when authority remains misaligned with delay and evidence decay. By aligning authority, verification feasibility, and assurance with communication latency and hazard evolution, the proposed framework supports resilient governance for sustained lunar surface operations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 285-287"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148570966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The FAI astronautic records commission (ICARE) – Accompanying a new era of spaceflight achievements","authors":"Scott Neumann,&nbsp;Henrik Akerstedt,&nbsp;Nicolas Bérend","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.01.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.01.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The International Commission for Astronautic Records (ICARE) of the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) was originally founded in 1960 to appraise and ratify human spaceflight records. In this paper, we present an overview of the ICARE commission’s history, current activities and evolutions in order to adapt to a rapidly evolving context regarding spaceflight. First, we present the origin of the ICARE Commission, with a focus on the Kármán Line, which is the conventional altitude boundary (100 km) that has been chosen as the limit between aeronautics records and spaceflight records. Secondly, we present a panorama of ICARE’s current activities aimed at recognizing major spaceflight achievements. In addition to the validation and ratification of spaceflight records, six medals and diplomas are awarded for outstanding accomplishments. Finally, we provide an overview of the latest evolutions in the ICARE Commission that have been initiated to adapt to the transforming landscape of spaceflight: A rewrite of the Sporting Code for astronautic records to better reflect current (and future) developments and the launch of the ICARE “Miliarium Ad Astra Grand Challenges” which are designed to incentivise and recognize the “One small step…” moments in the future history of spaceflight.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 424-429"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148571884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}