Human Spaceflight
Safety Committee
Launch & Reentry
Safety Committee
Space Hazards
Committee
Space Human Performance
and Health Committee
Space Safety
Governance Committee
Space Traffic
Management Committee

Space safety is concerned with the design, testing and operations of space systems and the associated safety risks imposed on:

  • Individuals: Exposure of citizens and spaceflight crews/participants (flight & ground) to risks constituted by spaceflight activities
  • Society: Interference with current (inter-/national) activities on Earth, in airspace and Earth orbit
  • Globe: Impact on the environment (Earth & Space) from spaceflight activities

IAASS has constituted the Technical Committees to:

  • Conduct study and research of space safety issues (space hazards, limitations of space system performance) and identify the safety concerns w.r.t. activities in space
  • Collect, organize and discuss the relevant state-of-the-art knowledge
  • Evaluate methods and techniques and assess the need for common policies, guidelines, standards, laws or regulations
  • Share knowledge, opinions and suggestions through publications in books, journals, presentations, position papers, etc.
  • Upon invitation, provide expertise and support to working groups/organizations/bodies (institutional and/or industrial) which are concerned with the definition of consensus methods, safety standards or guidelines for space activities.

The Technical Committees create and maintain a strong link between professionals from agencies, industry and academic institutions. Only Senior Members and higher-level members (Associated Fellow, Fellow) of the Association, which satisfy specific criteria of expertise and excellence, can become members of the Technical Committees. The relevant Chairman may also appoint non-members of the Association responding to the same criteria above as members of the Technical Committees.

The Technical Committees base their operations on robust processes for analysis and judgement to formulate policies and recommendations without bias. Only rational and evidence-based information, properly understood data and scientifically grounded assessments are used. Assumptions are explicitly acknowledged and constantly challenged. To develop the IAASS technical vision for space safety, and contribute to the mitigation of safety risks associated with the design, testing and operations (all phases, including launch and re-entry) of space systems, the IAASS has mandated several Technical Committees