The billionaire’s space race has been only heating up in recent years. In July 2021, for instance, Billionaires Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, and Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic took a supersonic joyride to space.
The Canadian actor William Shatner, a 90-year-old celebrity best known for his iconic “Star Trek” role as Captain Kirk, followed months later, together with the “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan.
Since then, there have been more visits to space, and these rides are only expected to come thick and fast in the coming days. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, recently came out to expressly reveal his plans of sending 1 million people to Mars by 2050 by launching three starship rockets every day.
But what exactly does this mean for our planet? How do these space launches affect our environment and the planet at large? If these are the questions making rounds in your head, join me as we explore the environmental impact of space launches.
How Do Space Launches Impact the Environment?
Space launches impact the environment in several ways, including carbon emissions, ozone layer damage, toxic chemical pollution, and space debris and pollution. While the level of impact it creates might not match that of the aviation industry, it soon might, especially if no action is taken to mitigate the effects.
Let’s take an in-depth look into how space launching is harming our environment.
1. Carbon Emissions & Air Pollution
Among the many environmental concerns surrounding space launch is releasing harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Rockets release a significant amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon black (soot), and other greenhouse gasses (GHGs) depending on the propellant used.
In a Space X Falcon 9 rocket launch, one of the biggest surprises was the amount of CO2 released by the rocket. The first stage of this rocket was recorded to release a whopping 116 tons of CO2 in just 165 seconds. That’s a significant amount of CO2 for just the initial stage.
The problem with CO2 is that it traps and radiates heat from the sun once it gets into the atmosphere, worsening the greenhouse effect. Black carbon is even worse, as it not only contributes to global warming but also the melting of ice and snow when deposited on their surfaces.
To make it even worse, unlike commercial aviation, which releases emissions into the lower atmosphere where they can easily be reabsorbed through natural processes, rocket emissions happen in the upper atmosphere and can linger there for many years.
2. Ozone Layer Damage
Other than emitting dangerous compounds that trap and radiate heat, space launch is also a major culprit in depleting the ozone layer. That’s because some of the propellants used by these rockets, particularly solid-fuel and hybrid rockets, release dangerous compounds that wear out the ozone layer, exposing the earth to hazardous UV light.
Let’s take hydrochloric acid (HCL), for instance. It’s an emission from rockets that use Solid aluminum fuel, ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4) oxidizer, and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) as propellant. The problem with HCL is that once it gets into the atmosphere, it breaks down to release chlorine atoms, which destroy the ozone molecules.
This depletion slows the ozone layer’s recovery from previous damages caused by industrial chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). And even worse, the damage is only expected to worsen, especially with the rapid growth in the space industry.
3. Space Debris & Pollution
Rockets are designed with several stages, each having its own engines and fuel. Once a rocket stage runs out of propellant, it detaches (or jettisons) from the rest of the rocket to lighten the load. The next stage drives the rocket until the fuel is exhausted before falling.
Now, the whole idea of jettisoning is brilliant in that it maximizes the efficiency of travel by getting rid of the “junk weight.” But then, the problem is in the jettisoned stages. They often fall into oceans, releasing dangerous compounds into the water and causing disturbances to the seabed and seabed organisms.
4. Acoustic & Thermal Pollution
Rocket launches are extremely loud. The Saturn V rocket, for instance, was as loud as 204 decibels. That’s much louder than the sound of a jet airliner taking off, which is usually between 120 and 160 decibels. And just so you know how loud 204 dB are,CDC states that sound levels 85dB and above are potent enough to cause hearing loss.
Rocket launches produce a noise far above what’s considered generally safe for hearing. This noise might not affect the launchers, as they often use hearing protection, but it can cause disturbances to the wildlife and the nearby communities.
Plus, rockets produce high amounts of heat, sometimes in the extreme range of 2226 – 3200 degrees Celsius, altering the air temperatures in the vicinity and negatively affecting the nearby ecosystems.
5. Wildlife & Habitat Disruption
Due to the high level of noise and the temperatures involved, rocket launches usually require ample space. This requirement often drives deforestation and habitat destruction, affecting wildlife and reducing biodiversity.
Some spacecraft components, including paint and thermal coatings, contain dangerous substances that can vaporize and add thermal coatings into the air. Even more, some of the falling debris can fall off and contaminate land and oceans, affecting these ecosystems.
How Much Pollution Does a Rocket Launch Produce?
The amount of pollution from a rocket launch varies depending on the type of rocket, the fuel it uses, and the number of launches occurring annually. However, the pollution from rockets is generally significantly higher than from vehicles and airplanes.
Let’s take CO2 pollution, for instance. Rockets using kerosene-based fuel (like SpaceX’s Falcon 9) might release 200 to 300 metric tons of CO2 per launch. And just so you know how significant that amount of CO2 is, it’s 7 times the amount of CO2 you’d get from airliners burning an equal amount of fuel and comparable to the annual emissions of 70 average cars.
That’s for SpaceX’s Falcon 9. We have larger rockets, such as NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), emitting around 4,000 metric tons of CO₂. A typical passenger vehicle emits 4.6 metric tons of CO2 per year, so it would take 870 passenger vehicles to produce as much CO2 in a year as this rocket does in a single launch.
The other pollutant is black carbon. It’s emitted by rockets that run on kerosene and hybrid fuels, and rocket launching accounts for 10% of all soot in the stratosphere despite having a relatively low number of launches. This compound, also known as soot, is so potent at causing the warming effect that just 1000 tons of it in the atmosphere is enough to warm the earth by 1 degree Celsius in some regions.
Ozone-depleting chemicals are also other pollutants from rocket launches. These include compounds like chlorine. A single Space Shuttle launch depleted about 0.025% of the ozone layer over a short time, though ozone can recover.
Of course, we have other pollutants emanating from rocket launching. Aluminum oxides, space debris, and hydrazine are just a few of them whose far-reaching impacts on our planet cannot be downplayed.
Do Rocket Launches Affect the Weather?
Yes, rocket launches can impact the weather, but usually, the effects are localized and short-term. For instance, a rocket launch can create thin, high-altitude artificial clouds using the emitted water vapor, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter.
Plus, studies have revealed that the exhaust from rockets can form artificial cirrus clouds, which have been found to trap heat, affecting the local temperatures. These clouds were observed after famous launches, including the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Space Shuttle.
The intense heat and shockwaves generated by these rockets are another concern. It disturbs the lower atmosphere, affecting circulation in the immediate area. Rocket exhaust particles (such as aluminum oxides) have also been found to act as cloud condensation nuclei, often leading to localized changes in rainfall patterns.
How Environmentally Friendly is SpaceX’s Starship?
Although Space X’s starship is the largest rocket ever built, it isn’t actually the dirtiest. On the contrary, this huge, 5000-ton monster is designed to be one of the cleanest. Its raptor engines use liquid methane and liquid oxygen, which aren’t as toxic as the kerosene-based fuel to the environment.
However, methane combustion still emits CO2 and water vapor, both greenhouse gasses, but without the chlorine-based emissions that come with solid rockets.
The CO2 emitted in a single launch is still at a significant of 1,000–1,500 metric tons, similar to Falcon 9, but much less than NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), whose emissions can be as high as over 4,000 metric tons per launch.
1000 to 1500 metric tons per launch is significantly high, especially per launch, but the reusability aspect of this rocket substantially reduces its carbon footprint over time by eliminating the need to build new rockets from scratch.
Even more, the 100% reusable design of Space X’s starship means less space debris and waste from discarded rocket stages, drastically cutting down material demands. That means fewer raw materials like aluminum, titanium, and composites will need to be mined, significantly reducing the environmental impact associated with traditional rocket production.
In other words, Space X’s Starship is designed with several environmental factors in mind, which is a great thing, especially for a monster of its size. But that doesn’t mean it’s entirely harmless. It still produces CO2 and water vapor, which can exacerbate global warming and cause localized effects on weather.
And, of course, the launches from Starbase, Texas, are known to cause disturbances to local ecosystems, habitats, and protected bird species. In some cases, explosions during tests, especially at the initial stages of the development, can fall into the ocean, affecting the marine ecosystems.
Conclusion
The billionaire-driven space race is accelerating, bringing both innovation and environmental challenges. Rocket launches contribute to carbon emissions, ozone depletion, and space debris, raising concerns about long-term sustainability. While space travel is essential for scientific progress and future colonization, its impact on Earth cannot be overlooked.
Advancements like reusable rockets, cleaner fuels, and carbon-neutral initiatives offer hope for reducing environmental harm. SpaceX’s Starship, for example, aims for sustainability, but it still emits CO₂ and affects ecosystems.
As space exploration grows, balancing technological ambition with environmental responsibility is crucial. Future missions must prioritize sustainability to ensure that our journey beyond Earth does not compromise the health of the planet we call home.
