Designing a Resilient Space Ecosystem: Advanced Technologies, Sustainability Metrics, and Human-Centric Operations

As humanity advances towards a multi-planetary future, initially including the Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt, the concept of a space ecosystem must evolve from an aspirational vision into a systems-engineered reality. This paper reframes the “fully functional space ecosystem” as a resilient system-of-systems grounded in Human Systems Integration (HSI), rigorous sustainability metrics, and interoperable infrastructure. Moving beyond generalized narratives of autonomy and self-sufficiency, we propose a technically grounded architecture that prioritizes human resilience as the linchpin of mission success, integrates life support through hybrid bioregenerative-physicochemical systems, and leverages nuclear power and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) as foundational enablers. Instead of critiquing legacy sustainability metrics like percent closure and Equivalent System Mass, advocacy is made for a multi-criteria evaluation framework centered on safety, availability, performance, and life cycle cost. The paper outlines a phased implementation strategy anchored in empirical validation from analog missions and current spaceflight programs, while proposing a novel multilateral governance framework, the Space Ecosystem Organization (SE Org), modeled on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), to ensure interoperability, equity, and compliance with international space law. By synthesizing engineering rigor with human-centric design, this work offers a new, actionable pathway toward a truly resilient interplanetary infrastructure as one capable of supporting not just survival but long-term human thriving beyond Earth.