NASA Deputy Administrator Shares Progress on Space Sustainability Efforts

NASA is making progress on implementing its Space Sustainability Strategy, according to Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.

In her speech at the Secure World’s Foundation’s Summit for Space Sustainability, Melroy said the space agency is gathering information on metrics and models as it develops a framework for space sustainability assessment, SpaceNews reported.

Melroy, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker, further explained that NASA is working on other aspects of the strategy, which was first announced in April, including analyzing uncertainties in evaluating collision risks and studying the economics of debris tracking.

Moreover, NASA is prioritizing the development of the framework before investing in debris removal technologies, according to Melroy, who is also a past Wash100 awardee.

The deputy administrator added that interagency and international collaboration is ongoing and that NASA is currently looking for a director of space sustainability, with Trudy Kortes, a Space Technology Mission Directorate official, serving in an interim capacity.

NASA has also begun work on the strategy’s second volume, which will focus on cislunar space. A draft framework, Melroy said, is expected to come out in November.