ISO 24113:2023
(Main)Space systems — Space debris mitigation requirements
Space systems — Space debris mitigation requirements
This document defines the primary space debris mitigation requirements applicable to all elements of unmanned systems launched into, or passing through, near-Earth space, including launch vehicle orbital stages, operating spacecraft and any objects released as part of normal operations.
Systèmes spatiaux — Exigences de mitigation des débris spatiaux
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INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 24113
Fourth edition
2023-05
Space systems — Space debris
mitigation requirements
Systèmes spatiaux — Exigences de mitigation des débris spatiaux
Reference number
© ISO 2023
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ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction . vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms.4
4.1 Symbols . 4
4.2 Abbreviated terms . 4
5 General . 5
6 Protected regions. 5
6.1 General . 5
6.2 LEO protected region . 6
6.3 GEO protected region . 6
7 Technical requirements . 6
7.1 Restricting the intentional release of space debris into Earth orbit during normal
operations . 6
7.1.1 General . 6
7.1.2 Space debris from pyrotechnics and solid rocket motors . 6
7.2 Avoiding break-ups in Earth orbit . 7
7.2.1 Intentional break-up . 7
7.2.2 Accidental break-up caused by an on-board source of energy . 7
7.2.3 Accidental break-up caused by a collision . 7
7.3 Disposal of a spacecraft or launch vehicle orbital stage after the end of mission so
as to minimize interference with the protected regions . 8
7.3.1 Provisions for successful disposal . . 8
7.3.2 Disposal to minimize interference with the GEO protected region . 8
7.3.3 Disposal to minimize interference with the LEO protected region . 9
7.3.4 Re-entry . 9
8 Planning requirements .10
8.1 General . 10
8.2 Space debris mitigation plan . 10
Annex A (informative) Post-launch life cycle phases of a launch vehicle or spacecraft .11
Bibliography .12
iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
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ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 20, Aircraft and space vehicles,
Subcommittee SC 14, Space systems and operations.
This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition (ISO 24113:2019), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— the addition of a term and definition for "expected number of casualties per re-entry" to replace the
term "casualty risk";
— the modification of definitions for the terms "disposal phase", "Earth orbit", "end of life", "end of
mission", "passivate" and "probability of successful disposal";
— the applicability of requirements in this document with respect to a space object that enters an
unbound Keplerian orbit or leaves Earth orbit;
— the modification of a requirement relating to space debris left in Earth orbit by a launch vehicle after
normal operations;
— minor changes to two of the requirements relating to accidental break-up caused by an on-board
source of energy;
— changes to a requirement and NOTE concerning the assessment of the probability of impact-induced
break-up of a spacecraft;
— the modification of a requirement and addition of a NOTE relating to the assessment of the probability
that an impact will prevent the successful disposal of a spacecraft;
— the modification of a requirement and addition of a NOTE relating to the need for disposal capability/
probability reassessment before extending the mission lifetime of a spacecraft;
iv
— the addition of NOTEs pointing out the need for and potential benefit of reducing orbital lifetime
significantly below 25 years in the LEO protected region;
— the addition of a NOTE concerning the collision probability associated with a deployable device
that augments the orbital decay of a spacecraft or launch vehicle orbital stage in the LEO protected
region;
— the modification of a requirement relating to the assessment of the hazard caused by ground impact
of any objects that are expected to survive re-entry;
— the specification of a threshold for the expected number of casualties during the re-entry of a
spacecraft or launch vehicle orbital stage, and the addition of supplementary NOTEs;
— the addition of a NOTE concerning the listed contents of the space debris mitigation plan;
— minor modifications to the two figures in Annex A;
— updates to the Bibliography.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
v
Introduction
Space debris comprises all objects of human origin in Earth orbit or re-entering the atmosphere,
including fragments and elements thereof, that no longer serve a useful purpose. The growing population
of these objects poses an increasing hazard to mankind’s use of space. In response to this problem, there
is international consensus that space activities need to be managed to minimize collision risks among
space objects and casualty risks associated with atmospheric re-entry of such objects. This consensus
is embodied in space debris mitigation guidelines published by organizations such as the International
[1] [2]
Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC)
[3] [4]
and the United Nations (UN). The transformation of debris mitigation guidelines into engineering
practice is a key purpose of this document.
[5]
The importance of this document can be seen within the context of four UN treaties that were
established under the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) to
govern the involvement of nations in space activities. These are the Outer Space Treaty, the Liability
Convention, the Registration Convention and the Rescue Agreement. Through some of these treaties, a
launching State has total liability for damage caused by its spacecraft or launch vehicle orbital stages
(or any parts thereof) on the surface of the Earth or to aircraft in flight, as well as in outer space where
fault can be proven.
All countries are encouraged to abide by these international agreements in order not to endanger or
constrain existing and future activities in space. A launching State can choose to appoint licensing or
regulatory authorities to administer its approach for complying with the above-mentioned UN treaties.
In several launching States, these authorities have implemented national legislation to enforce the
UN treaties. Such legislation can include the mitigation of space debris. Some launching States meet
their obligations by appointing non-regulatory government bodies, such as national space agencies, to
provide the necessary guidelines or requirements, including those for space debris mitigation.
The general aim of space debris mitigation is to reduce the growth of space debris by ensuring that
spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages are designed, operated and disposed of in a manner that
prevents them from generating debris throughout their orbit lifetime. Another aim of space debris
mitigation is to ensure that space objects re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere cause no harm. These
aims are achieved by the following actions:
a) avoiding the intentional release of space debris into Earth orbit during normal operations;
b) avoiding break-ups in Earth orbit;
c) removing spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages from protected orbital regions after the end
of mission;
d) performing the necessary actions to minimize the risk of collision with other space objects;
e) reducing the risks associated with re-entry, e.g. to people, property and the Earth's environment.
Such actions are especially important for a spacecraft or launch vehicle orbital stage that has one or
more of the following characteristics:
— has a large collision cross-section;
— remains in orbit for many years;
— operates near manned mission orbital regions;
— operates in highly utilized regions, such as protected regions;
— operates in regions of high debris population.
This document transforms these objectives into a set of high-level debris mitigation requirements.
Methods and processes to enable conformance with these requirements are provided in a series of
lower-level implementation standards.
vi
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 24113:2023(E)
Space systems — Space debris mitigation requirements
1 Scope
This document defines the primary space debris mitigation requirements applicable to all elements
of unmanned systems launched into, or passing through, near-Earth space, including launch vehicle
orbital stages, operating spacecraft and any objects released as part of normal operations.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
approving agent
entity from whom approval is sought for the implementation of space debris (3.23) mitigation
requirements with respect to the procurement of a spacecraft (3.25), or its launch, or its operations in
outer space, or its safe re-entry (3.22), or a combination of those activities
EXAMPLE Regulatory or licensing authorities; national or international space agencies; other delegated
organizations.
3.2
break-up
event that completely or partially destroys an object and generates space debris (3.23)
3.3
controlled re-entry
type of re-entry (3.22) where the time of re-entry is sufficiently controlled so that the impact of any
surviving debris on the surface of the Earth is confined to a designated area
Note 1 to entry: The designated area is usually an uninhabited region such as an ocean.
3.4
disposal
actions performed by a spacecraft (3.25) or launch vehicle orbital stage (3.13) to permanently reduce
its chance of accidental break-up (3.2) and to achieve its required long-term clearance of the protected
regions (3.21)
Note 1 to entry: Actions can include removing stored energy and performing post-mission orbital manoeuvres.
3.5
disposal manoeuvre
action of moving a spacecraft (3.25) or launch vehicle orbital stage (3.13) to a different orbit as part of its
disposal (3.4)
3.6
disposal phase
interval between the end of mission (3.9) of a spacecraft (3.25) or launch vehicle orbital stage (3.13) and
its end of life (3.8)
3.7
Earth orbit
bound or unbound Keplerian orbit with Earth at a focal point, or Lagrange point orbit which includes
Earth as one of the two main bodies
3.8
end of life
instant when a spacecraft (3.25) or launch vehicle orbital stage (3.13)
a) is permanently turned off, nominally as it completes its disposal phase (3.6),
b) completes its manoeuvres to perform a controlled re-entry (3.3), or
c) can no longer be controlled by the operator
Note 1 to entry: See Annex A.
3.9
end of mission
instant when a spacecraft (3.25) or launch vehicle orbital stage (3.13)
a) completes the tasks or functions for which it has been designed, other than its disposal (3.4),
b) becomes incapable of accomplishing its mission (3.15), or
c) has its mission permanently halted through a voluntary decision
Note 1 to entry: See Annex A.
3.10
expected number of casualties per re-entry
DEPRECATED: re-entry casualty risk
number of people who are predicted to be killed or seriously injured by the re-entry (3.22) of a space
object (3.24)
Note 1 to entry: The medical profession has defined a number of different injury scoring systems to distinguish
the severity of an injury. Broadly, a serious injury is one of such severity that hospitalisation is required.
3.11
geostationary Earth orbit
GEO
Earth orbit (3.7) having zero inclination, zero eccentricity, and an orbital period equal to the Earth's
sidereal rotation period
3.12
launch vehicle
DEPRECATED: launcher
system designed to transport one or more payloads into outer space
3.13
launch vehicle orbital stage
complete element of a launch vehicle (3.12) that is designed to deliver a defined thrust during a dedicated
phase of the launch vehicle’s operation and achieve orbit
Note 1 to entry: Non-propulsive elements of a launch vehicle, such as jettisonable tanks, multiple payload
structures or dispensers, are considered to be part of a launch vehicle orbital stage while they are attached.
3.14
launching State
State that launches or procures the launching of a spacecraft (3.25), or State from whose territory or
facility a spacecraft is launched
[5]
Note 1 to entry: This definition is consistent with the definition in the UN Liability Convention and the UN
[6]
General Assembly’s Resolution 59/115 on the notion of the launching State .
3.15
mission
set of tasks or functions to be accomplished by a spacecraft (3.25) or launch vehicle orbital stage (3.13),
other than its disposal (3.4)
3.16
mission lifetime extension
postponement of the previously defined end of mission (3.9)
3.17
normal operations
execution of the planned tasks or functions for which a spacecraft (3.25) or launch vehicle orbital stage
(3.13) was designed
Note 1 to entry: Normal operations include the disposal phase (3.6).
3.18
orbit lifetime
elapsed time between an orbiting space object’s (3.24) initial or reference position and its re-entry (3.22)
Note 1 to entry: Examples of "initial position" are the injection into orbit of a spacecraft (3.25) or launch vehicle
orbital stage (3.13), or the instant when space debris (3.23) is generated. An example of a "reference position" is
the orbit of a spacecraft or launch vehicle orbital stage at the end of mission (3.9).
3.19
passivate
act of permanently depleting, irreversibly deactivating, or making safe all
on-board sources of stored energy capable of causing an accidental break-up (3.2)
Note 1 to entry: Passivation is an effective measure for significantly reducing the chance of an accidental
explosion that can generate space debris (3.23).
Note 2 to entry: Propellant tanks, batteries, high-pressure vessels, self-destruct devices, flywheels and
momentum wheels are examples of on-board sources of stored energy capable of causing an accidental break-up.
It is preferable to passivate such items as soon as they are no longer required for mission operations or post-
mission disposal (3.4).
Note 3 to entry: A safe level of passivation is reached when any remaining stored energy cannot be expected to
cause an accidental break-up.
Note 4 to entry: In the event of a collision, a passivated space object (3.24) is likely to create less space debris than
a non-passivated space object.
3.20
probability of successful disposal
probability that a spacecraft (3.25) or launch vehicle orbital stage (3.13) is able to c
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