They warn of the danger private flights pose to the ozone layer

Several surveys warn that the increase in private spaceflights to the stratosphere is causing a worry depletion of the ozone layerwhich could accelerate global warming.

Many scientists argue that the rise of space tourism, supported by some companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, has started to show the first signs of concern. Some even wonder if they really are the space is worth marketing.

“Private spaceflights are bad for the climate and a waste of resources,” said Knud Jahnke of the Max Plank Institute for Astronomy in Germany.

Although so far rockets contribute only 0.02% of global soot emissions, they are already responsible 6% of heating global caused by these solid particles.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) argues that the current basis for carbon pollution is 1,000 tons of soot of rockets per year. The team multiplied that figure by 10, which is an estimate of the increase in recent years, and concluded that the amount of soot from rockets in the stratosphere would raise the temperature of that layer. up to 4 degrees.

In addition, the amount of nitrogen oxides emitted from rocket exhaust is so large that it could be harmful to human health.

Scientists also criticize the impact of rocket launches, the collapse of burned-out stages of spacecraft (space junk) and their re-entry into the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from aggressive solar ultraviolet radiation.

For this reason, several experts have already suggested that commercial flight companies such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, as well as engine manufacturers, take this into consideration. effects on your future projects.

big changes in the atmosphere

Companies that launch rockets into space know that carbon emission from rocket fuel is a problem. This is why they deal with alternatives that are in various stages of research, including some that are probably considered unpopular, such as nuclear reactors.

A similar study by the Christopher Maloney Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences has indicated that, if space travel continues its current trend, in just 20 years it would generate very important changes in the atmospheric circulation and ozone would be dangerously depleted, especially in the northern hemisphere.

This is due to the release of a substance known as carbon black, which absorbs sunlight and retains heat. Thus, space travel is causing its own greenhouse effect.

Mario Molina, Frank Sherwood Rowland, Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner and John Shanklin are among the scientists who have done the most publicizing the depletion of the ozone layer.

After it was observed that its thickness was drastically decreasing in some parts of the planet, the first two described one of the main culprits of this problem: chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

While initially downplayed, their research was eventually taken seriously and these substances were banned in many parts of the world. Furthermore, they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 for their discoveries.