It’s time for a ‘Space Transparency Act’
By Moriba Jah|January 2025
In my travels and conversations across the globe, a question has repeatedly come my way: “If you could be king for a day, what single change would you make related to space policy?” I always welcome this challenge, because it forces me to distill my vision into a single, actionable priority. My answer is simple but transformative: I would mandate that corporations and government agencies be transparent about the environmental and sustainability impacts of their space-based services.
For many, this may sound abstract or far-removed. Most people don’t realize that outer space isn’t some distant, irrelevant realm. It’s figuratively in their pocket. Your smartphone — that lifeline of modern society — depends on satellites for GPS, weather data, communications and so much more. The truth is, space is all around us. It touches every part of our lives, even if we don’t literally see it.
The irony is that while we know the environmental cost of tangible, earthbound industries, including manufacturing, automobile travel and air transportation, the impacts of space-based activities remain largely invisible. That needs to change. If I were king for a day, my decree would be that every satellite service provider do the equivalent of what airlines like United Airlines does now: Display carbon footprints in kilograms of CO2 for every itinerary. Imagine if every time you use your GPS, weather app or any satellite-reliant service, you could see its cost to our planet.
Here’s why this really matters: The services we receive from satellites are not free; they come with a price that the Earth pays. Launching, operating and eventually deorbiting satellites requires resources and energy and contributes to environmental impacts like carbon emissions and atmospheric pollution. Because these costs are invisible to us as consumers, we have no say in the consequences. We, the people who rely on space services, lack agency because we are kept in the dark.
We live in a world that values choice and transparency. As I say, I can buy a plane ticket and see the carbon footprint of my flight. I can purchase sustainably sourced coffee or organic produce because information is provided about its impact. For a variety of reasons, I don’t always choose the itinerary with the lowest impact to Earth or that sustainably sourced coffee, but that’s a conscious decision. Let’s have more of those.
Why shouldn’t these same principles of transparency apply to space-based services? Why shouldn’t we demand that companies offering these services reveal the environmental cost of their operations? This transparency would empower individuals, companies and governments to make informed choices based on the sustainability of the services they use. And if they don’t, they know they aren’t. It’s about giving the public a seat at the table to help shape the future of space stewardship.
Currently, there are thousands of satellites in orbit, with tens of thousands more planned over the next decade. Every launch sends massive amounts of exhaust into Earth’s atmosphere. Rockets burn fuels that can have significant effects on ozone depletion and climate systems. Meanwhile, Earth orbit is increasingly cluttered with dead satellites, abandoned rocket stages and fragments from collisions — debris that poses threats to operational satellites and even astronauts.
What’s more, satellites have finite lifespans. Many are not responsibly deorbited and none are recycled, leaving their remains as junk in valuable orbital highways. This has created a sustainability crisis in space, one that mirrors the environmental crises here on Earth’s surface. Just as we have become aware of deforestation, ocean plastics and fossil fuel emissions, we must now confront the fact that our activities in space have far-reaching impacts, both in orbit and on the surface of the planet we call home.
Transparency must also extend to the supply chains that make satellites possible. Satellites don’t materialize out of thin air. They are built using materials sourced from mines, factories and suppliers across the globe. Yet, most of this supply chain remains hidden from the public. Where are these materials being sourced? How are they being extracted and processed? These are critical questions that demand answers because their environmental and societal costs are not only measurable but significant.
That said, I’m not advocating that companies disclose every proprietary detail of their supply chains. I understand the need to protect competitive information. However, I believe it’s fair and necessary to demand basic transparency: What countries and regions do the raw materials come from? What are the sustainability and environmental impacts of those operations? Are these processes contributing to deforestation, human rights violations or pollution? These details matter.
By revealing this information, we can begin to hold companies and governments accountable for the full lifecycle of their products — not just their use in orbit but their origins here on the surface. If consumers knew the hidden costs of satellite manufacturing, they could push for better practices, cleaner technologies and more responsible sourcing.
Transparency is the first step toward accountability. By requiring satellite service providers to disclose their environmental impact, we would enable consumers to make informed choices. Do you want to use a navigation service from a provider whose satellite constellation produces high carbon emissions or one that prioritizes sustainability? Do you want your streaming services to come from companies that launch responsibly and invest in deorbiting technologies?
These decisions may seem small, but collectively, they send a powerful message: We value our only home, Earth, and we demand a future in which space activities are conducted responsibly. Transparency will put pressure on companies to innovate and governments to incentivize them for this innovation. When faced with public scrutiny, businesses often develop cleaner technologies, smarter solutions and more sustainable operations. The result? A race to the top, where sustainability becomes a competitive advantage rather than an afterthought.
Just as there should be consequences for pouring chemicals into a pristine lake or cutting down an ancient forest, we should not allow space activities to proceed unchecked. Making satellite service providers accountable to the public is a necessary step toward ensuring that our use of space is sustainable and just. We must treat space as the shared resource it actually is: a commons that belongs to all of us.
The choices we make now will determine whether future generations inherit clean and safe orbits, a thriving planet and a space economy that works for all humanity. This vision starts with awareness. It starts with transparency.
Aerospace America publishes a rich variety of opinions relevant to the future of aerospace. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of our publisher, AIAA.
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