This project is led by UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage (ISH)
Project team
Prof Josep Grau-Bove, Professor in Heritage Science
Dr Richard Higham, Research Fellow in Heritage Science Infrastructure
Dr Mim Andrews, Research Fellow in Decarbonisation of the Heritage Sector
Prof Richard Sandford, Professor [Chair] of Heritage Evidence Foresight and Policy
Dates
2026
Overview
EXCIDIS (Exploring the Cultural Importance of Defunct In‑orbit Satellites) establishes a framework for understanding, valuing, and integrating space heritage within the sustainable management of orbital environments. It recognises satellites not only as technological infrastructure but as cultural artefacts embodying scientific achievement, international collaboration, and the emergence of a global spacefaring society.
The project embeds heritage values into the sustainable management of orbital environments to ensure the origins of the space age remain part of humanity’s collective memory.
The Challenge
At the beginning of the space age, humanity placed its first objects into orbit, initiating a profound technological and cultural transformation. Today, as we enter a period of intensified space activity, we face a critical transition: without intervention, the material record of early space exploration defunct satellites, associated knowledge and record of international collaboration risks being irretrievably lost. Unlike previous archaeological transitions, where material culture survived to inform future generations, orbital heritage is uniquely vulnerable to erasure through atmospheric burn-up, collision, and policy-driven debris mitigation.
Our Approach
EXCIDIS advances four interconnected pillars:
- Historical and heritage values
Developing methods to identify, assess, and articulate the cultural, historical, scientific, and social values of satellites. Through stakeholder engagement and public consultation, it will establish whose heritage is represented in orbit and how these values vary across communities and contexts. - Environment–heritage interface
The project will situate heritage within the broader environmental challenges of orbital space, including debris proliferation, atmospheric pollution from re-entry, and impacts on dark skies. It applies heritage-informed ethical frameworks to ensure that sustainability strategies do not inadvertently erase the cultural record of space activity. - Public engagement and cultural memory
EXCIDIS will foster public understanding of space as a shared heritage domain. By developing platforms for engagement, exhibitions, and outreach it ensures that the history of space exploration remains accessible, meaningful, and embedded within future societal narratives. - Industry and policy integration
The project will provide tools, metrics, and guidance to incorporate heritage value into decision-making processes governing satellite lifecycles, disposal, and orbital management. It supports industry and policymakers in balancing sustainability, economic priorities, and cultural preservation within an increasingly contested orbital environment.
Together, these pillars position EXCIDIS at the intersection of heritage, sustainability, and space governance.
Why this matters
As space activity accelerates, decisions made today will shape the cultural and environmental legacy of Earth’s orbital space for generations. Preserving the heritage of early satellites ensures that humanity’s first steps beyond Earth remain visible, valued, and understood.
By embedding heritage value into the management of Low Earth Orbit, the project ensures that the origins of the space age remain part of humanity’s collective memory while enabling a sustainable and equitable future in space.