Eco-Friendly Space Technology
Space Tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors expanding from USD 774.6 million in 2019 to USD 1383.3 million in 2025 and 3 billion dollars by 2030. Due to its fast growth, everybody wants a piece of it, hence some of the world billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson competing for it. Over the years many companies have come up with innovative plans of making space tourism more accessible and affordable with tickets ranging from USD 95,000 to USD 55 million with Richard Branson’s Virgin already having 600 people pre-booked for USD 250,000. It's safe to say that the space tourism industry has nowhere to go but up, Now the real question arises with all these trips to space, what’s going to happen to our environment? As per the study, a traditional chemical rocket emits 100 times more CO2 per passenger than flights and we all know the effects of CO2 on our environment. But does this mean that we should stop? Space tourism does not sound effective when we think about it, as it is for recreational purposes but is that all to the story? No, Space tourism is the key to open our doors to a trillion-dollar economy, which will provide jobs to numerous people, help in resource management on earth and let’s not forget about the technological developments due to space travel. Previously the space race was deemed unnecessary by many people but it bought multiple crucial technologies which helped save lives and which we use daily such as CAT scans, Baby formula, Memory foam, a scratch-resistant lens, Insulin pump and many more. With the growth of space tourism and money flowing in from the rich, a trillion-dollar economy will be born but again this does not mean that we have to compromise with our environment and hence in this article you will read about amazing technologies which can make space tourism greener.
Solutions:
1) NASA's Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) is a green alternative to traditional chemical propulsion systems, its purpose is to improve the propellant efficiency and to replace the toxic Hydrazine fuel, which is hazardous to store, handle and also toxic to the environment.
The GPIM launched to low-Earth orbit on June 25, 2019, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The mission is led by Ball Aerospace for NASA. During its 13-monthly mission, it will demonstrate the capabilities of a hydroxyl ammonium nitrate fuel/oxidizer blend
(AF-M315E). It is a low toxicity propellent developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. It has multiple advantages when compared to Hydrazine, significantly reduced toxicity, safer and easier to handle and store, has high density meaning more can be stored/ more energy for the same volume, has a higher specific impulse value and does not need a heater power to prevent freezing. Currently being tested for smaller spacecraft
"Once proven in space, the GPIM team will present AF-M315E as well as the compatible tanks, valves and thrusters to NASA and the commercial spaceflight industry as a viable, effective solution for future mission"
2) Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is developing 3 different fuels to replace them with their existing hazardous fuels with much non-hazardous and environmentally friendly fuels.
The first green propulsion is via Hydrogen Peroxides, to be used in the future Gaganyaan Mission. It will be used as a mono-propellent or bi-propellant along with ethanol. The next one is LOX/Methane (Liquid Oxygen as Oxidiser and Methane as fuel) similar to what we see in the new SpaceX Raptor engine. This propellant has a higher specific impulse, storability, low toxicity, and cost. The LOX/Methane engine was tested nearly a year ago and the results looked good said K. Sivan (Secretary in Department of Space), And the last but not the least ISROSENE a rocket grade version of kerosene which is less hazardous than Hydrazine.
ISRO is also working on an Electrical Propulsion system that can be used on smaller satellites eliminating the need for a chemical propulsion system in the first place.
3) European Space Agency (ESA) is pioneering an eco-friendly approach for space exploration, its goal is to tackle the rise of Space Debris in space and to create a sustainable of choosing materials and processing them such that they don't negatively affect our environment. The ESA's clean space initiative focuses on Eco-design, Space Debris Mitigation and In-Orbit Servicing/ Active Debris Removal. These foster green technologies like Green Fuel (self-pressurized green propellants) and projects like ClearSpace1 for clearing space debris.
Not far behind is Australia, Australia's new and upcoming space programs aim to create carbon-neutral fuels, Prof. Wojciech Lipiński, Leader of the Australian National University (ANU) Solar Thermal Group, defined new methods of creating carbon-neutral fuels for the aerospace and aviation industries, designed to offset carbon/climate impacts.
Well, this is the story about convention chemical rockets but now what if I told you there are more ways of getting into space without rockets! Sounds like science friction right but some of them are very close to being a reality such as Space Elevator, Skyhook, Expandable rocket, Orbital rings, Fusion Drive Rockets which can run completely on renewable energy sources like tidal, space solar power, solar panels, wind and fusion energy. These are still fiction due to our technology readiness level, for example solving the problem of mass production of Nano Materials (Carbon Nanotubes) will make Space Elevator a reality and us harnessing Fusion technology completely will let us build space crafts like the 'Rocinante' from the famous web series 'The Expanse'.
The recent blast off of Jeff Bezos cost $5.5 billion and the engine used in the New Shepard is the BE-3 which is a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (LH2/LOX) engine that gives nearly zero carbon emission and largely produces water vapour, this is as clean fuel can be but still with high rates of launches too much water vapour will end up damaging our ozone layer, a simple solution to this is simply – If you are rich enough to go to space, you are rich enough to plant enough trees to neutralize its effects and invest in Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology to save our planet.
Author - Souvik Mukherjee, EXTC Engineering
Bibliography
https://www.space.com/future-of-space-tourism-op-ed
https://www.forbesindia.com/article/cross-border/space-tourism-on-a-budget/38224/1
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/07/08/space-race-inventions-we-use-every-day-were-created-for-space-exploration/39580591/
https://theconversation.com/space-tourism-rockets-emit-100-times-more-co-per-passenger-than-flights-imagine-a-whole-industry-164601
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/green/index.html
https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/isro-working-on-green-fuels-like-hydrogen-peroxide-for-rockets-120123100580_1.html
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Preparing_for_the_Future/Discovery_and_Preparation/Clean_and_eco-friendly_space
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Green_Propellant_for_Space_Propulsion
https://spaceaustralia.com/feature/renewable-rocket-fuels-going-green-and-space
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/bezos-rocket-carbon-emissions-blue-origin-b1888059.html
https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/environmentally-friendly-space-travel/
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