Space factories: energy budget for the In-Space Recycle of space debris

The space industry is growing rapidly. This creates new technologies and brings new competitors into the industry. It also leads to an increase in problems. Every space mission has some environmental impact on Earth and in orbit. In fact, every launch requires a certain amount of energy, which has an impact on Earth. While in space, all the decommissioned or damaged satellites, for which no re-entry plan has been identified, wander in orbit, causing collisions and creating more debris, the Kessler effect. For this reason, and to increase the independence of space missions from Earth, the EFESTO project aims to create the first space factory. The project is very large and complex, in fact it involves many actors. The present research evaluates the energy budget of different possible scenarios in case of implementation of different activities in the Space Factory. A literature review of possible processes applicable in space for space debris recycling was conducted. The energy consumption of these processes was evaluated. Two materials were considered: aluminum (Al) and polylactic acid (PLA). They were considered because of the high presence of aluminum in decommissioned satellites and the use of PLA in an easily damaged component such as the antenna. The study shows that energy savings could be realized by recycling the product directly into space, eliminating the need to launch it from Earth.