SPACE WASTE LAB
Visualise and upcycle space waste.
SPACE WASTE LAB is a multi-year living lab addressing the issue of space debris, with over 29,000 objects orbiting Earth. These remnants of rockets and satellites threaten operational satellites, potentially creating more debris and disrupting digital communications.
SPACE WASTE LAB aims to upcycle space waste, with plans to create Shooting Stars from captured debris, 3D-print moon habitats, and develop a sun reflector to combat climate change.
A key feature is the SPACE WASTE LAB PERFORMANCE, an outdoor artwork using green LED beams and real-time tracking to visualize space waste at altitudes up to 20,000 kilometers. The installation raises awareness and engages the public, with over two thousand students participating in its educational program.
ESA Director Franco Ongaro: “Cooperation between technologists and artists is essential, especially for issues like space debris. Artists help communicate and reveal new aspects of our work, combining technology with emotional impact.”
Winner of World OMOSIROI Award in Japan and Gold Award Future Mars Life competition in China.
SPACE WASTE LAB is the ongoing lab at Studio Roosegaarde for new solutions to upcycle space waste. The SPACE WASTE LAB PERFORMANCE has specially designed software and developed camera technology to be exhibited internationally, in accordance with strict regulations.
ESA is supporting knowledge partner. The SPACE WASTE LAB exhibition was exhibited at Kunstlinie KAF in Almere, the Netherlands and the Triennale Milano Italy in 2019, accompanied by a real piece of space waste. Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers is the ambassador of SPACE WASTE LAB.
ESA Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality Franco Ongaro about SPACE WASTE LAB: “I’m a strong believer in cooperation between technologists and artists. We believe in what we do as a service to society, but we are often unable to communicate its worth effectively enough. Artists not only communicate vision and feelings to the public, but help us discover aspects of our work which we are often unable to perceive. This cooperation is all the more important when dealing with issues like space debris, which may one day impact our future, and our ability to draw maximum benefits from space. We need to speak in different ways, to convey not just the dry technological aspect of technology, but the emotions involved in the struggle to preserve this environment for future generations.”
Studio Roosegaarde is part of the NASA Cross Industry Innovation team in Houston. SPACE WASTE LAB is a part of Roosegaarde's larger vision for Schoonheid, a Dutch word meaning both beauty and cleanliness. Schoonheid is an activator for change, for citizens, makers, NGOs and governments to value and empower Schoonheid as a creative force to make clean environments.
The SPACE WASTE LAB consists of an education, films, talks and exhibition programme covering the wider context of space waste. You can listen to the SPACE WASTE LAB RADIO here.
Watch the Dutch VPRO Tegenlicht trailer, the full VPRO Tegenlicht documentary, or the lecture by Daan Roosegaarde at World Economic Forum with the Minister of State for Advanced Sciences of the UAE Sarah AI Amiri and CEO Airbus Dirk Hoke about SPACE WASTE LAB.
Select Exhibitions
SPACE WASTE LAB Almere
October 12, 2018
SPACE WASTE LAB Italy
January 20, 2019
Studio
June 16, 2023
Shooting Stars from Space Waste
Daan Roosegaarde's project, as part of the SPACE WASTE LAB, aims to upcycle space waste, with plans to transform captured debris into Shooting Stars.
Publications
February 21, 2023
Winner Gold Award Future Mars
SPACE WASTE LAB won a Gold Award at the Future Mars Life competition in China for its design contribution to life in space.
Publications
February 21, 2023
NASA & Roosegaarde: Innovations
The NASA team of scientists and artists, now including Daan Roosegaarde, is working on innovations for the benefit of humanity, including our SPACE WASTE LAB.