Climate change is the greatest threat of the 21st century, and despite our efforts with renewable energy, we will not be able to reduce CO2 emissions sufficiently in the near-term future to prevent critical tipping points from being reached. One space-based geoengineering approach to mitigate global warming without directly modifying the Earth's atmosphere is shading the Earth with multiple thin structures positioned at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L1 to create a crucial time buffer for us. The aim of this PhD thesis, which will be carried out at the Institute of Space Systems (IRS) of the University of Stuttgart, is to investigate possibilities to optimise the effects on the global and local Earth climate by means of a logistical and technological modelling of sunshade constellations. For this purpose, a digital model of the sunshade constellation will be developed in a Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) approach, which will provide a link to climate prediction models. The technological requirements for sunshade production, resource extraction and material logistics will be taken into account. The overall model is to be structured in a flexible, extendable way that allows the findings of future research and technological developments to be efficiently integrated into the optimisation process. Finally, the digital model will be implemented on an open source platform to constantly update the current state-of-the-art of key technologies for sunshade production and operation, as well as trends for the future in order to generate a roadmap proposing steps to be taken on the way towards the implementation of an International Planetary Sunshade (IPSS) system.
