Increasing numbers of space launches will put more black carbon high in the atmosphere, where it can trap heat from the sun
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch at Cape Canaveral, Florida
SpaceX/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock
As more and more rockets are launched into space, the pollution they emit could have a growing effect on Earth’s atmosphere and weather systems.
Many rockets today use kerosene, which is burned with an oxidiser – liquid oxygen – to produce thrust. This includes SpaceX’s Falcon 9, currently the most frequently launched rocket the world, responsible for 31 of the world’s 135 successful launches in 2021.
A by-product of this process is black carbon, soot-like grains thrown out in the …