Skyrora Space Company Places Emphasis on British Green Space Drive and Fighting Space Debris

British space company, Skyrora, has issued a statement announcing their support for increased environmental policy and more green space technologies in the field of space exploration. The statement comes during the build-up to the COP26 climate change conference, which will take place in Glasgow during the first two weeks of November. The UK is one of the major players in the field of space exploration. It will soon be the first European country to have a structure in place for satellite and rockets launches. The UK also has seven space sites under construction located around the country, which are to become functional in the near future. As UK space exploration expands, it is vital that companies like Skyrora push for green initiatives to address sustainability issues from within the industry.

Skyrora Aim to Tackle Fuel Sustainability and Space Debris Problem

While space exploration is instrumental in tackling many climate issues, there is no shortage of sustainability problems within the industry itself. One major issue is the carbon emissions produced by space flights and rocket launches, with each space flight producing 100 times more carbon than a standard flight. This issue is coming under particular scrutiny at the moment as drives towards commercial space tourism become more imminent.

Space debris is another pressing challenge within the industry. It is currently estimated that there are around 34,000 pieces of space junk in orbit. As these objects rotate, they can smash into active satellites, thereby creating more debris and posing a threat to future space missions and vital communication systems on Earth.

Skyrora hopes to help tackle both of these issues using green space technologies. The company has already developed a more sustainable form of rocket fuel, known as Ecosene. Ecosene is produced using recycled plastic and cuts fuel emissions by around 45%. Skyrora is also working on developing space technologies that can remove space junk from orbit. The ‘space tug’ will be able to catch pieces of debris and direct them towards re-entering the atmosphere, where they will be destroyed.

UK Ideally Placed for Space Sector Sustainability Talks

With its burgeoning space sector, the UK is perfectly placed to kickstart green space initiatives. Taking a holistic approach towards space travel and utilising sustainable technologies should be top priorities. It is hoped that other companies will follow the example set by Skyrora in this.