One of the most significant contributors to global warming is the massive amount of exhaust fumes emitted into the atmosphere by vehicles. But what about the vehicles that put satellites into orbit? The number of spaceflight launches continues to grow. Last year alone, there were 211 successful orbital launches.

How do Launch Vehicles Affect the Environment?

It is interesting to note that in order to launch satellites into low Earth orbit up to 2000 km above sea level, the rocket ascends to an altitude of about 100-120 km. For comparison, the distance between the cities of Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih is 150 km. But the trip to space requires much more fuel. The Falcon 9 rocket, which carries out the vast majority of launches today, uses 285 tons of liquid oxygen and 123.5 tons of Rocket Propellant-1 each time. Meanwhile, up to 300 tons of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and soot that raise the Earth's temperature are released into the various layers of the atmosphere.

Alternative Methods of Space Travel

Although spacecraft exhaust currently accounts for about one percent of aviation emissions, the world is actively looking for ways to make space exploration more environmentally friendly. One of the alternative options for launching satellites is the development of SpinLaunch system, which uses a centrifuge accelerator. It accumulates energy and transfers it to a catapult that pushes the payload to an altitude of more than 60 km. The rocket engine then takes about a minute to accelerate to first space velocity and deliver the payload to Earth orbit. A test launch using this technology is planned for 2025.