The demise of space debris (e.g. upper stages, satellites, their components) re-entering the atmosphere results in emissions into the atmosphere. Typically, most of the re-entering object mass does not survive the atmospheric transit and ends up being released into the atmosphere under gaseous or particulate forms. Depending on the nature and material composition of reentry debris, a wide range of re-entry gases and particles are released. Some are chemically active, in particular ozone destroying, or/and radiatively active (i.e. climate forcers). For these reasons, there are concerns about the potential impact of re-entry events on stratospheric ozone and climate. In the framework of its Sustainable Development programme, ESA is striving to assess precisely and reliably the environmental impacts of its activities. The ATISPADE project aims to produce a state-of-the-art assessment on the atmospheric impact of spacecraft demise. The specific objectives are the following:

• To assess the impact of spacecraft demise on Earth’s atmosphere in terms of short term and long-term effects.
• To understand the long-term impact of spacecraft demise of ozone depletion and global warming.
• To quantify the level of toxic elements released into the atmosphere and to assess the hazard potential.

The two main issues covered here are stratospheric ozone depletion and climate forcing. Because of concern regarding surface pollution and toxicity, a smaller component of the project is devoted to deposition at the surface of toxic elements. The focus is on changes in atmospheric chemical composition because the environmental impacts assessed here represent either changes in chemical composition (stratospheric ozone) or are driven by changes in chemical composition of the atmosphere (climate change, toxic deposition at the Earth’s surface). It is worth stressing that the potential atmospheric impact of spacecraft demise has been barely touched in the open literature.