by Evan Harp (ETF Trends) Even though space flight involves leaving the Earth, like every other sector, it is contending with its environmental impact. Two British rocket startups are claiming that their technology can reduce spaceflight’s carbon footprint through renewable fuel.
Both Skyrora and Orbex have unique solutions to the carbon emissions problem. Skyrora plans to utilize a fuel that is made from non-recyclable plastics. Orbex, meanwhile, has a biopropane solution. Biopropane is a natural gas created as a byproduct of producing biodiesel. When a rocket launches into space, it requires an enormous amount of energy.
One of the chief obstacles of the space tourism industry is environmental impact. Carbon dioxide emissions are inevitable with rocket launches, but the carbon cost of attaining the fuel needed to reach orbit is often greater than the cost of the launch itself. The negative carbon footprint associated with pivoting to more sustainably sourced materials can do wonders for emissions reduction in space-related industries.
Orbex’s biopropane fuel has the added benefit of significantly reducing the amount of soot injected into the atmosphere upon launch. Initial test launches have found that the company’s Prime rocket almost entirely eliminated soot emissions when using the biopropane fuel.
Skyrora’s novel plastics-based fuel has yet to be used in an orbital launch, but the early testing is promising. “The plastics that we are using actually come from waste disposal,” CEO Derek Harris said. “We even get paid to take it, so feedstock is a negative value.” Initial tests saw a reduction of 40% in overall emissions, including soot, sulfur, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.
Other firms are also exploring biofuel options.
Promising Signs for the Industry
It may be early days for these technologies, but they generate exciting opportunities across the entire sector as other firms explore what they can do with these new technologies or attempt to create their own superior versions. Investors can get exposure to 30 space-related companies through the Procure Space ETF (UFO). READ MORE
Can biofuels make spaceflight greener? UK space startups reveal plans for cleaner rocket launches (Space.com; includes VIDEO)
The rise of space tourism could affect Earth’s climate in unforeseen ways, scientists worry (Space.com)
Excerpt from Space.com: There is another component of rocket exhaust that climate experts are concerned about: soot. Rockets inject huge amounts of it into the otherwise pristine upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere, where it could trigger possibly far-reaching changes.
And here, technology such as Orbex’s biopropane-fueled Prime rocket could make a difference. The University of Exeter study says that the Prime vehicle, which is 62 feet (19 meters) long and designed to carry small payloads of up to 330 lbs. (150 kilograms) to low Earth orbit, will emit much less soot than a similar micro-launcher using RP-1. The company added in a statement that Prime “almost entirely eliminates” soot emissions.
Soot in the atmosphere can absorb heat and affect the temperature of the higher layers of the atmosphere — the mesosphere and the stratosphere. Orbex said in its statement that 120 rocket launches emit as much soot as the entire global aviation industry emits in a year.
Overall, a single Orbex rocket launch will generate a total of 15 tons (13.8 tonnes) of greenhouse gas emissions, which is equivalent to the annual carbon footprint of an average U.K. citizen, Orbex said in the statement.
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Orbex’s counterpart Skyrora hasn’t launched its three-stage Skyrora XL orbital rocket yet either but has performed several successful test flights of their sub-orbital missile Skylark Micro, which reached the altitude of up to 17 miles (27 kilometers). In 2020, the company tested a small prototype of its engine, which runs on fuel made from non-recyclable plastics. According to the company’s website, the new fuel, called Ecosene, showed a 1- 3% better energy profile compared to RP-1.
Derek Harris, CEO of Skyrora’s Ecosene division, told Space.com that Ecosene comes much cheaper than RP-1, at about $2 per gallon. READ MORE
