Space is a trending topic, and many governments and organisations are attempting to hit orbit. However, with almost every technological and engineering marvel, questions are raised, including whether the space venture will impact the environment and climate. Especially in the North Atlantic Ocean.
When rockets blast off from the launch pad, parts, including boosters, are often separated and fall into the underlying waters. Also, launches can go horribly wrong, ending in an explosion with debris scattered across land and oceans. When this happens, and if the parts release toxins or aren’t recovered, what are the environmental impacts?
There’s an ongoing issue and concern surrounding plastic pollution in the North Atlantic. This can have detrimental effects on marine life. The World Economic Forum expressed that there are 10 times more plastics in the Atlantic Ocean than previously estimated. In the North Atlantic, more specifically, it will soon exceed the safety limits, the Ocean Cleanup reports. While studies on how this will impact marine life are uncertain, the Pew Trust outlines that ocean-based animals can become intertwined with plastics and even digest them and suffocate.
And with rocket launches proliferating, debris could impact marine life, the same as humble plastic.
The State Of Plastic Polution In The North Atlantic
Microplastics, pieces of plastic less than 5mm, are abundant in the North Atlantic Ocean. A study published in Science Direct found that samples pulled from the North Atlantic waters held copious amounts of plastic.
From the samples taken, 2315 pieces of plastic were found, 89% of which were microplastics. To return to Ocean Cleanup’s point, these levels will soon exceed those believed to be safe for marine life. Equally, plastic is not the only problem. When oceans and sea life are exposed to shipwreck pollution, this can have dramatic consequences.
A Guardian article exposed the adverse outcome when two ships collided, releasing thousands of plastic pellets into the North Atlantic. Not to mention the fuel and other chemicals from the ships could contaminate nearby waters.
If marine life were to ingest these pollutants, namely the plastic pellets, they could very easily suffocate. Cleanup efforts swiftly began after the collision. Nonetheless, aquatic life and sea birds are quickly exposed to the damaging material, meaning no matter how quickly the cleanup takes place, animals are still in danger.
How Marine Life Is Impacted By Plastic Pollution
Ultimately, plastics are not easy to remove from oceans. In fact, they permeate every aspect of the ocean, from the surface to the deepest depths. Marine Biodiversity affirmed that sea life that consumes these plastics creates a cycle called bioaccumulation. “These microscopic plastic particles… are infiltrating every level of the marine food chain, from the tiniest plankton to the largest whales,” Marine Biodiversity said. That cycle looks like…
- The pollution is absorbed into the fish tissue, infecting plankton and other smaller fish.
- When plankton and other smaller prey fish are eaten by bigger fish and mammals, they too absorb the pollutants.
- The whole food chain then becomes contaminated.
- And the cycle continues with more plastic entering the ocean.
With ecosystems in danger, how will space flight and the aspirations of the burgeoning global space market add to this proliferating issue.
Will Space Flight Exacerbate The North Atlantic Pollution Problem?
Governments and organisations are rapidly tapping into the space market. Equally, many space organisations are increasing their launch rate at a rapid pace. Launches in 2016 hit 221, by 2023, this rate increased to 2,644. State of the Planet says there are currently approximately 10,000 satellites in orbit. Consequently, emittants such as black carbon that emanate from rockets build up in the atmosphere, impacting Earth’s climate.
Similarly, concerns have been raised that rocket launches, which often take place over the ocean, could result in drastic oceanic pollution. While this area has meagre research, a Nature study argues that with the increase of rocket launches, and subsequent debris, marine life will be adversely affected. Earth’s dependence on satellites and space-bound assets has become necessitated. However, the study indicates that launch providers fail to mitigate the fallout to flora, fauna, and biomes.
The research article affirms: “that certain biomes are facing greater risks from rocket launches than others, with the highest density of [rocket launch sites posing] significant risks.” Adding, these sites are often located “where many threatened terrestrial species are potentially at risk.”
With Britain situated in very close proximity to the North Atlantic, especially SaxaVord Spaceport in northern Scotland, will the UK’s space ambitions unfavourably impact ocean-based ecosystems?
SaxaVord Spaceport & The North Atlantic
The UK is set to welcome its first vertical launch from UK soil at SaxaVord Spaceport. Located on Unst in the Shetland Isles, this string of islands call the North Atlantic home. With rockets poised to travel across this area during their flight path to space, debris will almost certainly end up landing in the North Atlantic.
Currently, Rocket Factory Augsburg and Orbex are planning to launch from SaxaVord since the spaceport received a launch licence. In early 2025, RFA received their launch licence, meaning the RFA One rocket may become the first to launch from the UK vertically. Orbex are also making moves to launch their Prime rocket from the Scottish site at some point this year.
Launch frequency from the Shetlands, once operational, will continue to increase year on year. SaxaVord’s current licence grants them 30 launches per year – something they hope to grow. According to NOAA, 1,000 tonnes of soot are emitted from rockets annually.
When exploring the 2016 to 2023 launch rate increase, over the coming years, the rate of soot emanation may continue to proliferate with the demand of space-based assets soaring. Such soot buildup in the atmosphere could heat the stratosphere by 0.5 to 2 degrees, NOAA suggests. With the climate issue adding to the North Atlantic debris concern, how will SaxaVord uphold its role in accessing space sustainability?
How Are Space Organisations Trying To Become Green At SaxaVord
SaxaVord have committed to a green plan to make their launches more sustainable. “At SaxaVord, our aim is to attract like-minded teams hoping to break new ground in the hunt for low-carbon solutions,” the spaceport said. In addition, SaxaVord has also committed to a carbon-neutral operation and reducing emissions.
Orbex, who own a launch pad at SaxaVord, are also driving sustainable initiatives via bio-propane fuel. Other fuels that are commonly used in the space industry can be harmful to the environment. As such, Orbex has been developing a more eco-friendly fuel called bio-propane. Equally, Orbex Prime is set to be entirely reusable, meaning minimal discarded parts will be doomed to rest in the ocean. As a result of these sustainability drives, Orbex was awarded with the ‘World’s Most Environmentally Friendly Space Rocket’ in 2021.
However, if you’ve read our previous article regarding sustainability at SaxaVord, bio-propane fuels are not entirely eco-friendly. Sourcing, manufacturing, transport, and fuel burning all have negative impacts on the environment, and that’s true for bio-propane. Equally, bio-propane is not pollution-neutral either. While the fuel doesn’t emit the same amount of pollution as other fuels, it will still contribute to the climate crisis.
Rocket Parts & Fuels In The North Atlantic: What’s The Fallout?
When RFA and Orbex launch from SaxaVord, its flight path to orbit directly intersects with the North Atlantic Ocean. We’ve already covered how detrimental this could be to ecosystems and Icelandic waters in general. But a common practice in rocket launches is freely discarding parts during its voyage to space. These parts include boosters, which are permeated with chemicals and fuel, and quite frequently end up in the ocean. This poses a significant risk, like poisoning and smothering, to sea life, NOAA says.
Even SpaceX has been embroiled in an environmental controversy, with reports stating that Musk’s space company has been pouring industrial wastewater into Texas waters. A CNBC article uncovered that SpaceX had been conducting this practice without adequate clearance during 2024, resulting in legal disputes with Rio Grande Valley groups. Texas Chemistry Council states that SpaceX could discard upwards of 30,000 gallons of wastewater into wetlands. As a result, local ecosystems could be harmed by the chemical water dumping.
Even green launch operations like Orbex still face their challenges. Sourcing fuels like bio-propane, which is created through vegetable waste, has a significant carbon footprint. Transportation, storing fuels, farming practices, and more are not carbon neutral. A ScienceDirect article explored the environmental risks of vegetable outgrades. They concluded: “Environmental, economic, social and consumer problems are identified in food production. These are related to the food industry’s high CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.”
Safety4Sea argue that the following issues could arise from rocket launches:
- “Physical disturbance of seabed/organisms
- Input of toxic substances
- Input of litter
- Input of anthropogenic underwater noise
- Collision risk”
Cleaning Up The Ocean – What’s Being Done?
Currently, space flight that occurs over open waters has very little regulations. According to the Marine Safety Law Journal: “So far, the space legal framework and international environmental law do not adequately regulate state responsibility for spaceflight activities and their impact on marine habitat.”
To ensure space flight starts to account for ocean pollution, MSLJ proposed that a subcommittee should be established with key agenda items dedicated to space flight and sea pollution. The short to long-term impacts of space flight on our oceans isn’t as well studied as the other adverse consequences of launches. However, MSLJ says: “At the international level, the integration of environmental law norms into the space law regime,” would help prevent space activities from harming sea life.
Moving forward, Environmental Impact Statements (EVP) and studies should play a larger role in the spaceport licensing sphere. That being, seeking an EVP that’s cumulative and not just per launch. Additionally, promoting reusability and implementing a recovery system should help to ensure rocket parts do not remain in the ocean after separation.
Finally, it’s essential that rocket launches do not add to the ocean plastic issue. Key groups including The Ocean Cleanup, have been utilising technology for clean-up management including barriers that filters plastic into smaller areas. While this work is being done, space activities must not add, exacerbate, or hinder the plastic problem nor make it irreversible.
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