ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Space Technol.
Sec. Space Exploration
This article is part of the Research TopicEmerging Extra-Terrestrial Space Platforms: Research Implications for LEO and BeyondView all articles
Space Debris Material Sourcing for In-Space Manufacturing: A Quantitative Evaluation Framework
Provisionally accepted
- Purdue University, West Lafayette, United States
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The increasing accumulation of space debris presents significant challenges to sustainable space exploration while offering opportunities for material reuse through in-space manufacturing. This research presents a framework for deriving the comprehensive value associated with using the growing space debris population as a material sourcing option for future in-space manufacturing. The growth rate of the space debris population in low Earth orbit is derived using a material flow analysis for future launch rate estimates up to the year 2050. Using these estimates, a total value calculation for space debris material sourcing is determined by considering the value associated with space debris's material market value, transportation cost reduction, and object removal risk reduction. The results of this framework indicate that cost savings from reduced material transportation to space are the most significant driver for overall space debris value, significantly outweighing the contributions of material and risk reduction value. As more data becomes available regarding in-space manufacturing capabilities, this framework can provide insights regarding the composition of space debris value and assess the economic viability of space debris reuse.
Keywords: space debris, Material reuse, In-space manufacturing, Space sustainability, Debris evaluation
Received: 21 Aug 2025; Accepted: 25 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lenkart and Biller. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Stephan Biller
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