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Scientists categorized the potential environmental damage from Falcon 9 rockets

Scientists categorized the potential environmental damage from Falcon 9 rockets – 

The cost of space launches has significantly decreased, in recent years, which made it possible to increase their number. In 2021, government and private bodies launched 133 missiles, breaking the record 45 years earlier.

However, gases from rocket engines are likely to have environmental impacts.

Ioannis Kokkinakis of the University of Nicosia in Cyprus quantified this effect using computer simulations based on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

“The carbon footprint of the missile is not a concern,” the authors wrote. But the molecules in the exhaust gases play an important role. These are mainly aluminum oxide and carbon black. These particles scatter and absorb light, and also change the temperature and flux in the stratosphere.”

The models that scientists use are based on Falcon-9 fuel data and equations that describe the behavior of gases. The researchers analyzed the release process by comparing the amount of exhaust gases emitted during a one-kilometre altitude through a specific part of the atmosphere.

It turns out that the volume of gas carried by the rocket is small compared to the mass of the surrounding air. However, the rocket carries large amounts of water and carbon monoxide to the height, which is almost present. In addition, during the flight of the rocket, a large mass of nitrogen oxides is formed, which does not dissipate for a long time.

In general, according to scientists, with a further increase in the number of launches per year, the environment may be damaged, which must be evaluated in the course of further in-depth studies and prevented.

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