Journal of Space Safety Engineering最新文献

{"title":"From legal uncertainties to regulatory clarity: The establishment of an effective international regime for active debris removal","authors":"Kuan Yang,&nbsp;Sabghat Ullah","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.02.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.02.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As space debris is increasing at an alarming rate, which poses a significant risk to future space missions, coping with this problem, international regulation for active debris removal is needed. The current laws are insufficient and ineffective in dealing with or addressing the complex issues of active debris removal from outer space. This paper examines the key legal issues associated with active debris removal (ADR) through doctrinal and policy analysis. From this paper, it is clear that current international regulations for ADR are not satisfactory and also not effective, whereas the majority of spacefaring nations lack national legislation regarding ADR. Most of the legal issues from ADR activities can arise because of the lack of a well-explained definition of space debris, as space debris is not defined in any of the five major space treaties. Any ADR mission mishap can create other legal issues that also need to be addressed by law, such as liability and responsibility. Unilateral debris removal operations without consensus may provoke international disputes. Therefore, the international community requires a comprehensive and updated legal framework to address the issues of growing debris in outer space.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 1","pages":"Pages 152-164"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147553495","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":"Lack of Geomagnetic Influence on Human Cardiorespiratory Adaptation to Chronic Environmental Stress During Antarctic Overwintering","authors":"Nikolay Osetskiy,&nbsp;Olga Manko,&nbsp;Natalia Konstantinova,&nbsp;Husein Kurdanov,&nbsp;Anton Artamonov","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Vostok Station, Antarctica (3488 m a.s.l., 624 hPa), is one of Earth's most extreme environments, characterised by chronic hypobaric hypoxia, extreme thermal stress, prolonged isolation, and unique geomagnetic conditions. This environment presents a unique terrestrial analogue for studying human adaptation challenges to long-duration spaceflight. While geomagnetic disturbances are theorised to modulate human physiology, evidence from chronically stressed cohorts under authentic isolation remains scarce.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To conduct a definitive correlation analysis evaluating geomagnetic disturbances' impacts (quantified via K-index) on core cardiorespiratory parameters: blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure, during wintering in Central Antarctica.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Longitudinal physiological monitoring was performed throughout 2019 (64th Russian Antarctic Expedition; n=11 males). Blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure were systematically assessed. Geomagnetic activity was monitored continuously. Non-parametric statistics (Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman, multiple regression) addressed non-normal distributions (α=0.05).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>SpO₂ demonstrated a significant decline after arriving at Vostok Station (p&lt;0.001), with later significant positive changes in its level confirming hypoxic adaptation. Critically, robust statistical analysis revealed no significant associations between geomagnetic disturbance intensity (K-index) and any cardiorespiratory metric: blood oxygen saturation (p&gt;0.05), heart rate (p&gt;0.05), systolic blood pressure (p&gt;0.05), and diastolic blood pressure (p&gt;0.05). Regression modelling attributed blood oxygen saturation variance solely to wintering duration and heart rate (R=0.910, p&lt;0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study provides strong evidence that moderate geomagnetic disturbances have no detectable immediate effects on cardiorespiratory function during chronic Antarctic overwintering. This strong negative finding contradicts existing biophysical models and supports the resilience of human physiology during prolonged periods of extreme isolation. The Vostok dataset establishes a critical benchmark for space medicine, highlighting the imperative to investigate higher-intensity geomagnetic disturbances, novel sensory mechanisms, and individual susceptibility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 1","pages":"Pages 165-174"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147553502","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":"Space debris detection from orbit: a prototype detector study","authors":"Federico Reynaud ,&nbsp;Matteo Abrate ,&nbsp;Antonio Giulio Coretti ,&nbsp;Mario Edoardo Bertaina ,&nbsp;Andrea Frasson ,&nbsp;Antonio Montanaro ,&nbsp;Raffaella Bonino ,&nbsp;Roberta Sirovich","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.11.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.11.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Space debris represents a serious threat for all space activities. Several studies have been carried out to tackle the problem. Some of these involve an active management of decommissioned satellites, parking them in graveyard orbits or deorbiting them until complete disintegration, while others suggest the removal of resident debris using capture mechanisms. By contrast, another line of research accepts space junk and aims at a better understanding of them, developing detection systems useful for collision avoidance purposes. Consistently with the latter approach, this work presents a novel detector prototype for the detection of space debris on orbit. Developed within the DISCARD Project, the detector is based on technology from the Mini-EUSO telescope, which is currently operating onboard the International Space Station. The objective of the project was to validate and optimize this technology for detecting small-dimension space debris, with diameter ranging from 1 to <span><math><mrow><mn>20</mn><mspace></mspace><mtext>cm</mtext></mrow></math></span>. These small fragments pose a significant threat to operational spacecraft, but remain largely undetectable by current surveillance systems. The proposed detector uses a real-time event recognition algorithm, the Stack-CNN method. Implemented on FPGA hardware, this online trigger system is developed and patented by the University of Turin (patent number: 102021000009845), allowing for fast and efficient optical signal processing. The assembly and integration of the prototype took place at the INFN laboratories in Turin, utilizing the instrumentation and expertise of the JEM-EUSO collaboration. Focusing on validating the detector prototype and its data acquisition processes, this work demonstrated the possibility to use this novel type of detector for in-orbit space debris detection, ensuring the proper system functionality and envisaging its use onboard a CubeSat spacecraft in low Earth orbit.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 1","pages":"Pages 191-201"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147553503","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":"Reliability assessment and failure prediction in space operations procedure using discrete event and human cognitive modeling","authors":"Sanjal Gavande,&nbsp;Thomas Mazzuchi,&nbsp;Shahram Sarkani","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.12.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.12.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In a complex space operational environment, identifying failures in a procedure involving multiple human-machine interactions is difficult. These failures could lead to accidents, resulting in the loss of hardware or human life. The likelihood of failure escalates further when evaluating operational tasks for a novel system without prior performance data and multiple human-machine interfaces. The methods used in the existing literature to evaluate complex operational tasks via passive flowchart or tabular analysis fail to disclose latent system errors arising from human cognitive limitations. To address these challenges, this research proposes a discrete-event simulation featuring a versatile flowchart architecture that incorporates a human-cognitive model for space operations procedures involving human–machine interdependencies. The simulation aims to identify potential failure locations within the procedure and to predict emergent behaviors during execution arising from the interplay between human cognitive constraints and the machine’s evolving state. The overall procedure reliability is assessed by a Monte Carlo simulation implemented within the discrete-event-based framework of the operations procedure. A case study analyzing an emergency response procedure for the International Space Station is used to illustrate that the effective prediction of procedure reliability and failures is possible when human and machine entities are organized in a discrete-event format.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 1","pages":"Pages 175-190"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147553500","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":"Multiphysics modelling of academic potassium nitrate–sucrose solid rocket motors for thermomechanical analysis","authors":"Sebastian Valencia ,&nbsp;Jaime Enrique Orduy ,&nbsp;Santiago Garcia de la Peña","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.12.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.12.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work presents an integrated Multiphysics framework for the design and thermo-structural evaluation of an academic potassium nitrate–sucrose (KNSU) solid rocket motor (SRM). The study bridges a major gap between industrial-grade SRM modelling and educational-scale applications by combining internal ballistics, heat-transfer analysis, and finite element structural simulation within a unified computational environment. The propellant burn rate is modelled through Saint-Robert’s law, while transient chamber pressure and nozzle erosion are coupled with the structural solver to evaluate stresses, deformation, and safety margins under operational conditions. Thermal and mechanical load interactions are assessed using temperature-dependent material properties for AISI 1020 steel, and the viscoelastic response of the propellant is represented through a Prony-series formulation. Results indicate a peak chamber pressure of approximately 8.6 MPa during ignition, followed by a steady-state regime near 4.8 MPa, with corresponding maximum casing stresses below 0.5 σᵧ, ensuring safe operation. Comparative analysis against NASA SP-125 empirical correlations shows less than 5% deviation in predicted thrust and impulse, validating the model accuracy. The framework offers an accessible yet rigorous methodology for academic and laboratory-scale SRM design, supporting both educational experimentation and early-stage research in solid propulsion. Future work will incorporate experimental validation, uncertainty quantification, and ablation–viscoelastic coupling to further improve predictive fidelity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 1","pages":"Pages 48-58"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147553576","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":"A systems approach to reliable and sustainable water utilization for life support in Martian greenhouses leveraging medusae Fossae formation ice resources","authors":"Alberto Boretti","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.01.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2026.01.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The extensive water ice deposits within Mars' Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) represent a critical in-situ resource for enabling sustainable human habitation. This article reviews the existing literature and details a systems engineering approach to identifying and conceptually addressing operational challenges within the conceptual Mars Habitat Integrated Greenhouse System (MHIGS), a proposed closed-loop agricultural framework vital for life support on Mars. We evaluate the implications of the processes involved: the extraction of water ice from beneath significant overburden, purification to remove hazardous contaminants like perchlorates, efficient distribution for irrigation, robust recycling to minimize losses, and atmospheric humidity control. The system incorporates water recycling and atmospheric water recovery mechanisms to enhance resource closure and operational margins. Electrolysis of a portion of processed water provides supplemental oxygen (O₂) for the habitat and hydrogen (H₂) for power or chemical synthesis, contributing to a potentially self-sustaining H₂O-O₂ balance supporting primary life support functions. This integrated water management system is designed to operate synergistically with CO₂ and nutrient cycles to ensure long-term crop viability and crew well-being. Despite significant challenges including ice extraction hazards, water purification risks, potential system failures in a closed environment, and the harsh Martian operational context, this systems approach demonstrates how MFF-derived water, managed with stringent protocols, could underpin the viability of advanced life support systems like MHIGS, which are pivotal for establishing a reliable and enduring human presence on Mars. This conceptual review article synthesizes prior work on ISRU and life support systems, focusing on conceptual management strategies for these identified hazards rather than providing a detailed assessment, given the conceptual nature of the proposed system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"13 1","pages":"Pages 234-247"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147553626","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":"Sustainable Africa space governance: Strategic decision support framework, opportunities, challenges and solutions","authors":"Rania Elsayed Ibrahim ,&nbsp;Alaaeldin S. Hassan ,&nbsp;Tshiamo Motshegwa","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.11.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Africa's engagement in space sciences and space systems is rapidly evolving, presenting both significant challenges and immense opportunities. This article explores the current state of African space endeavors, highlighting the limitations imposed by infrastructural deficiencies, limited funding, and lack of skilled workforce. Despite these hurdles, considerable potential exists in leveraging space technology for socio-economic development across the continent, particularly in agriculture, disaster management, telecommunications, and resource management. Opportunities include fostering regional collaborations, attracting international partnerships, and investing in education and training programs to cultivate a robust space sector.</div></div><div><h3>Methodology</h3><div>This article uses multifaceted techniques including multi-criteria decision analysis, case study and structured review to identify the current space governance gaps in Africa, raise awareness of Geoinformatics, Open Science (OS), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), in achieving sustainable space governance in Africa, and cater for a decision support framework including through as proposed African governance model, capacity development, implementation plan and roadmap to further African Union’s Agenda-2063.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>This work highlights the need for a concerted effort to develop comprehensive national space policies, promote private sector participation, and establish sustainable funding mechanisms to ensure the long-term success and impact of African space systems. A focus on capacity development and the development of indigenous technologies, building a solid regulatory framework, and enhancing satellite infrastructure, would be crucial for achieving self-reliance and maximizing the benefits derived from space exploration and application across the diverse African landscape.</div></div><div><h3>Value/originality</h3><div>The article has developed collaborative decision support and capacity development framework for space governance to guide decision-making across various aspects of the African space industry, considering its unique context and challenges. It outlines how open science promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration and the sharing of knowledge, while Geoinformatics and AI enable real-time data analysis that supports environmental monitoring and policy formulation. Moreover, it encompasses implementation plan, capacity development and African space governance model for achieving sustainable Africa space governance. Furthermore, it highlights challenges of implementation and presents solutions and opportunities for Africa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 749-769"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765781","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":"Organising the investigation of the human cardiorespiratory system during yearlong wintering at Vostok Station as an analogue for a lunar base","authors":"Nikolay Osetskiy,&nbsp;Olga Manko,&nbsp;Anton Artamonov,&nbsp;Oleg Orlov","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.08.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.08.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The establishment of long-term lunar bases requires an advanced understanding of human adaptation to extreme environments, including isolation, hypobaric hypoxia, and confinement in small habitation spaces. This review combines the methodological design and organisational features of a year-long study conducted during the 64th Russian Antarctic Expedition at Vostok Station in Central Antarctica, which serves as a valuable terrestrial analogue for lunar habitat investigations. By examining the cardiorespiratory and autonomic nervous system adaptations of 11 expeditioners in hypobaric hypoxia and isolation environments, we addressed some of the essential gaps in space medicine regarding small-sample longitudinal design studies and will serve as a guide for future lunar mission protocols. In this review, we summarised information from open-source literature and our own experience in planning and conducting a comprehensive investigation in one of the harshest locations on the planet.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 834-842"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765787","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":"Advancing safety standards for autonomous deep space missions: outcomes of the 2024 IAASS workshop","authors":"Nikolay Osetskiy ,&nbsp;David Francisco ,&nbsp;James Kass ,&nbsp;Sarah Taoufik ,&nbsp;Tia Bearden ,&nbsp;Rashi Jain ,&nbsp;Tina Beard","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.09.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.09.007","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 577-580"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765845","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":"Trajectory optimization problem of an service spacecraft interorbital transfer by an electric propulsion","authors":"V.V. Svotina,&nbsp;I.A. Nikolichev","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Trajectory optimization problem of the motion of a service spacecraft designed to remove space debris from the vicinity of geostationary orbit has been examined in the present paper. It is assumed that the service spacecraft is equipped with a radio-frequency ion source. The selected space debris is removed from the protected area under the influence of the mechanical action of the ion beam. The corresponding problem of end-to-end trajectory optimization is considered to assess the maneuvering capabilities of a service spacecraft during a series of successive interorbital flights, as well as the amount of space debris removed by ion beam. A general methodological approach to solving the problem has been determined, and a set of necessary conditions for optimality has been obtained.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 674-693"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765854","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}