A system-of-systems approach to US space sustainability governance

Shi, Qian ; Huang, Yinchien ; Arnas, David (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; DeLaurentis, Daniel

Resumen: The rapid expansion of satellite deployments and commercial activity in low Earth orbit has outpaced existing policy frameworks, raising urgent concerns about long-term space sustainability. This work proposes and applies a system-of-systems-based framework to assess structural and operational gaps in the United States’ approach to orbital stewardship. The framework combines a knowledge graph method to map institutional relationships and oversight fragmentation, with system-of-systems design principles to characterize structural drivers of the sustainability challenge and guide policy development and prioritization. The resultant analysis covers three major governance gaps: weak enforcement, fragmented standards, and policy lag, and organizes efforts to close these gaps into the domains of space situational awareness, space traffic management, and space environment preservation. A taxonomy of sustainability metrics organized by aim, method, and scope is also provided to support future policy evaluation and capacity planning. Overall, this work serves as a foundation for systematic sustainability assessment and informed governance strategies that can support adaptive policy design, compliance planning, and long-term orbital stewardship.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.04.026

Año: 2026

Publicado en: Acta Astronautica 247 (2026), 315-336
ISSN: 0094-5765

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Matemática Aplicada (Dpto. Matemática Aplicada)