A study published in the journal Earth’s Future has concluded that rocket launches take a more significant toll on the climate. Researchers led the investigation from UCL, the University of Cambridge, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The team used a 3D model to explore the impact of rocket launches and stated that the “impact of projected space tourism scenarios is formed on the recent billionaire space race.”
Further, the study reveals that, at present, the ozone depletion due to the rockets is slight. But, the impact is expected to be severe shortly due to the pollutants from solid-fuel missiles. Researchers have even stated that the growth tends to show that there are possibilities of future depletion of the upper stratospheric ozone layer in the Arctic in Spring. The team has mentioned the reason in space tourism as the reason behind this. During the hour of research, the team unearthed that the “black carbon” particles emitted by the rockets are almost 500 times more effective at holding heat in the atmosphere than all the other sources of aircraft and the surface, which results in the climate effect.
Also included were the most recent demonstrations by space tourism businesspeople like Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX. Dr Eloise Marais, the study’s co-author, specifically mentioned the soot particles, saying, “Soot particles from rocket launches have a much larger climate effect than aircraft and other Earth-bound sources, so there needn’t be as many rocket launches as international flights to have a similar impact. This study enables us to embrace the new era of space tourism with our eyes wide open to the potential repercussions, said study participant Dr Robert Ryan.
