Orbex's most eco-friendly rocket that can cut emissions by 96% to be launched in 2022

Orbex, a British aerospace company is working on the world's most environment-friendly rocket that will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of rocket launches during space programmes. Interestingly, an official press release by Orbex stated that the Orbex Prime rocket runs on biofuel which can lower carbon emissions by a whopping 96%. Currently under development in Scotland, the rocket is likely to launch from the Space Hub Sutherland in late 2022. 

Orbex Prime can lower pollution by 96%, claims study

Citing a study by the University of Exeter, the Orbex press release stated that the Orbex Prime rocket is capable of producing 96% less pollution than a rocket launched from an aircraft carrier and nearly 86% lower emissions than a similar-sized rocket launched horizontally. The release explained that this gulf in emissions is due to other rockets emitting high levels of black carbon, the particulate matter formed by the incomplete combustion of fuels containing carbon. Notably, it is this process that acts as a major contributor to climate change when emitted from rocket engines into the stratosphere.

Elaborating on the rocket's specialities, Orbex stated that the rocket has been designed to be reusable and will not leave any debris on Earth, in the Earth´s oceans, or in the Earth's atmosphere. Besides, it said, "Prime is poised to become one of the most environmentally friendly orbital launch vehicles ever built, benefiting from the use of renewable, ultra-low-carbon biofuel". 

According to the study, a single launch of the Orbex Prime rocket would result in total emissions of 13.8 tonnes of CO2 emissions. These emissions include all the aspects such as direct launch emissions, indirect emissions created from the production of the propellent fuels and the effects of non-CO2 emissions at high altitudes. The study says that these emissions are equal to the average emissions created by one single person in the UK each year.

Citing inputs from NASA, a report by Daily Mail suggested that currently, the number of rocket launches is minimal as last year, only 114 orbital launches were attempted which is comparable to an average of 100,000 airplane flights a day. Meanwhile, the CEO of Orbex Chris Larmour has said that it is time to move away from fossil fuels and move towards more efficient, sustainable alternatives. 

Image: Twitter/@NASASpaceflight