Space Sustainability Research on Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2026 | Viewed by 91
Special Issue Editors
Interests: space sustainability; life cycle assessment; carbon accounting; sustainable space mission design
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The expanding space industry offers a significant chance for the sector to leverage space-derived data for global problem-solving, but its rapid growth also presents critical sustainability hurdles which manifest themselves as part of the space sustainability paradox. As international attention turns to the long-term sustainability of outer space, it is increasingly important to address the impacts of manufacturing processes, supply chains, and technological choices on both Earth’s environment and the orbital environment. This area of research is critical for ensuring that the expansion of space activities aligns with global climate goals, resource efficiency, and the responsible use of shared space environments.
The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together innovative research that advances understanding of the intersection between aerospace manufacturing engineering and space sustainability. The topic fits well within the scope of Sustainability, as it considers how technological innovation, environmental responsibility, and industrial practice can be harmonised to support a sustainable future for the space sector. Contributions that highlight practical applications, methodological developments, and case studies from both academia and industry are especially encouraged.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to):
- Sustainable design, life cycle assessment (LCA) and eco-design approaches in aerospace manufacturing.
- Atmospheric impacts and/or deep-sea ecology impacts of launch vehicles.
- Carbon footprinting and emissions reduction in aerospace manufacturing.
- End-of-life management and on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing.
- Space debris tracking, mitigation, and removal.
- Integration of circular economy principles in space systems design, including in-space recycling, supply chain sustainability, and resource efficiency.
- Tools, software, digitalisation, modelling, and optimisation for sustainable aerospace engineering.
- Policy, regulation, and standards for sustainable space manufacturing and missions.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Andrew Wilson
Prof. Dr. Massimiliano Vasile
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- space sustainability
- space environmentalism
- circular space economy
- sustainable engineering
- aerospace manufacturing
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