FUELING SPACE EXPLORATION

A Cleaner Alternative for Urban Air Quality and Public Health

The space exploration industry is actively pursuing decarbonisation through several innovative approaches, focusing on reducing carbon emissions associated with rocket launches, optimizing the supply chain, and developing sustainable technologies.

Traditional rocket fuels, like kerosene (RP-1) and hypergolic propellants, release a large amount of CO₂ and other toxic emissions. Although biomethane is not yet a mainstream fuel for space exploration, ongoing developments in methane propulsion could eventually lead to its adoption as a more sustainable alternative.

Redo personnel at site visit of a greenhouse

Pushing technology boundaries...sustainably and competitively

The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) mainly focuses on the aviation and energy-intensive sectors to contract and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Space rocket manufacturing is not presently part of the ETS framework. Should space rocket launches be subjected to carbon pricing or equivalent regulations in the future, manufacturers may encounter considerable financial consequences due to the substantial carbon emissions linked to rocket launches.

Moreover, for space rocket manufacturers in Europe, this could make launches more expensive, if the regulatory landscape expands to cover rocket emissions. With advancements in rocket technology coupled with biomethane as a rocket fuel will minimise emissions and associated costs.

Sustainable rocket fuel

Many space agencies and private companies are under increasing pressure to comply with sustainability regulations and meet corporate environmental goals. Using biomethane helps these organisations adhere to stricter regulations on emissions and positions them as leaders in sustainability, which is beneficial for public perception and future funding.

Biomethane with it high purity can be used as an alternative to conventional fossil-based rocket fuels, such as RP-1 (kerosene) or other hydrocarbons, due to its similar chemical composition. When used as a fuel, biomethane releases less carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other harmful emissions compared to traditional rocket fuels. Biomethane can serve as a direct substitute for liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquid methane (CH₄) in methane-based rocket engines like SpaceX’s Raptor Engine or Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine. Since these engines are already designed to use methane, switching to biomethane would require minimal modifications.

And lastly, when combusted, biomethane releases the same amount of CO₂ that was absorbed by the organic matter during its growth, making it nearly carbon-neutral over its lifecycle, assuming sustainable production practices.

Innovative Supply Chain

Biomethane can be used to power ground operations, such as transport vehicles, power generation for launch facilities, and heating systems. Spaceports and testing facilities consume large amounts of energy. Using biomethane instead of conventional natural gas or diesel for heating, electricity, and ground operations can significantly cut emissions.
The use of biomethane in these ground operations can contribute to an overall reduction in the carbon footprint of space missions, particularly for spaceports aiming for sustainability.

Biomethane can also help decarbonise supply chains for space companies by replacing conventional fuels used in logistics, transportation, and manufacturing processes, such as heavy-duty trucks and industrial equipment for example, which are commonly used to transport large rocket components. Its adoption in supply chain logistics can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90% compared to diesel.

Sustainable rocket fuel

Research on methane production for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is being explored for long-duration space missions, including future Mars missions. Research involves using biological processes to produce methane from Martian CO2 or local resources, with microbes engineered to convert these materials into methane, which could then be further refined into biomethane.

These biological methods provide insights into sustainable production of materials needed for life support, construction, or even as feedstock for other processes on Mars or other celestial bodies. Additionally, biomethane can be integrated into closed-loop life support systems on spacecraft or space habitats. In these systems, organic waste from astronauts (like food scraps or biological waste) can be processed in anaerobic digesters to produce biomethane.