It can be used as a sustainable spacecraft fuel because it is compatible with existing infrastructure and rockets under development. Green hydrogen is a carbon-neutral fuel produced by means of the electrolysis of water using solar or wind energy. One of the best solutions to this dilemma is to step up global production of green hydrogen, which will help bring costs down. Most of today´s rockets use chemical-based propellants that contain kerosene because this combination provides greater energy density in other words, more energy packed into a smaller space.īut if the global orbital transportation and space tourism industry continues to grow at its current rate, these types of propellants will contribute to global warming, unless we can find a sustainable alternative.Īccording to the most recent Research and Markets report, the industry will be worth an estimated US$2.58 billion by 2031 and will report annual growth of 17.15 percent over the next decade. From the heights of Minatitlán, Veracruz. These remain at altitudes of between 30 and 50 kilometers and are then transported by global atmospheric circulation patterns. This impact can be seen in the accumulation of black carbon particles produced by kerosene-based fuels. The 2018 “Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion” report found that the growing number of rocket launches does indeed affect the atmosphere, especially the most sensitive region above the ozone layer. This year, his company successfully transported astronauts of different nationalities to the International Space Station and is currently working on another spaceship with a view to ‘terraforming’ the Moon and Mars in the coming decades.īut while the reuse of rockets is revolutionizing exploration beyond our planet and humanity´s place in the universe, more rockets orbiting ‘our common home’ in the years to come will have a significant impact on the environment. Spearheading the space race is Elon Musk´s Space X. In the longer term, Blue Origin visualizes building floating space colonies where millions of people will be able to live and work thanks to artificial gravity. The company´s goal in the medium term is to develop a heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle called New Glenn and a lunar landing module, which it hopes to lease to NASA. Not one to be left behind, Jeff Bezos´ Blue Origin launched the New Shepard, the first pilotless flight into space carrying passengers ‘addicted to strong emotions.’ Richard Branson´s company aims to promote space tourism, the transportation of small satellites, and make an incursion into the market for supersonic commercial orbital space flight.

This feat marked the beginning of the new space race, which had become 60 percent cheaper overnight for anyone wanting to travel ‘to the stars.’įrom that point on, space agencies, rocket manufacturers and aerospace service providers the world over began developing and implementing innovative solutions to popularize the use of rockets and design new spacecraft.Īn example of this was the launch of Virgin Galactic´s LauncherOne spacecraft. This was achieved for the first time in 2015, when Space X´s Falcon 9 rocket landed in Cape Canaveral, Florida, after putting 11 satellites into orbit.

The marathon has just begun, but already companies are scrambling to develop sustainable fuels that can propel the rockets of today and tomorrow.Ĭrucial to making space missions more accessible is the ability to reuse rockets to pass through the Earth´s atmosphere.

The new space race fueled by the private sector seeks to launch more satellites, people and cargo into space, faster and cheaper than ever before. David Montaudon, Communications Manager for Hannover Fairs Mexico: “It is vital to avoid fuels that damage the upper layers of our atmosphere in these early stages of ‘space tourism’ that takes us beyond our common home: planet Earth.” Image: Wikimedia Commonsĭavid Montaudon, Communications Manager for Hannover Fairs Mexico.

Race into space manual