A call for sustainability in space science

How sustainable is space science? This was the subject of a debate at the Karman Week 2025, hosted by SatSure, an earth observation data refinery platform, on Thursday here.

“It is time that we mitigate space debris,” said Susmita Mohanty, head of Spaceport SARABHAI, India’s first space think tank. She added space science should be equitable globally. Research has shown that 1.2 million pounds of space debris with sizes over 1 cm currently exists in space, Ms. Mohanty added. 

A “sustainability index for space science” is crucial, she said. 

Space science can play a crucial role in this era of climate change, said Fani Kallianou de Jong, Principal Manager, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Greece. 

The Karman Project is a global non-profit foundation that promotes peace and security in space through international cooperation. It brings together public and private sector decision makers to build common understandings and projects that advance sustainability, education, science, security, and capacity building efforts. 

“India is not only a leader in space exploration, but also a pioneer in using space technologies to address real-world challenges: be it agriculture, climate resilience, or disaster response,” said Hannah Ashford, managing director of The Karman Project, in a press note. 

Minoo Rathnasabapathy, from the MIT Media Lab and a leading voice in responsible space systems, said that in order to achieve space sustainability, emerging nations must have access to available data.