Promote the Rocket Industry, Protect the Atmosphere.

• Author: Mosbey, John Cody
• Position: Viewpoint

America is at a crossroads when it comes to the rocket industry. We have big choices ahead, and most are good. But we need to be careful to choose wisely among them, especially as to rocket fuels.

U.S. rocket companies--especially the new ones building and launching from U.S. soil and clamoring to be part of future launch infrastructure--are facing a variety of choices. How high to do they go? What to carry? For whom? And what fuels do they use to power ascent out of the "gravity well?"

More importantly, federal agencies and Congress are also facing these choices, not just growing young companies. One choice--perhaps a pivotal one--is how to manage growth of a vital new sector without regulating it to death. In short, what are key ways to plan ahead for growth?

Nowhere is that more obvious than in distinguishing rocket companies by the fuel they use and their impact on the environment--in particular on the stratosphere. New research is helping guide contracting and policy--or could--and that research is worth reviewing.

The Aerospace Corp.'s Center for Space Policy and Strategy in April published a report, "The Policy and Science of Rocket Emissions." The authors Martin Ross and James A.Vedda wrote: "Rockets directly inject combustion products into the stratosphere," and some of these "emissions deplete the ozone and alter the radiative balance of the atmosphere," especially solid rocket fueled engines.

Of special concern, too, are methane and kerosene. As the scientists discuss, these emissions "contribute to the complex interactions that determine global climate," and while presently minor, they may expand as the industry grows, that is, effects "could change if launch rates continue to increase."

To be clear, the big issue is not how many launches occur--as that is no more important than how many planes fly around the Earth each day. Of essential importance is the fuels that launches use and the residue they leave behind. Like the issue of space debris, which was not thought about in enough detail early on, this emission issue could get bigger fast--and become a serious concern. As the researchers note, "left alone, it could become a larger and far more intractable problem."

Since "rockets directly inject combustion products into the stratosphere--a particularly sensitive region that is home to the ozone layer"--there is reason to think forward. "These emissions deplete the ozone and alter the radiative balance of the...