Every Picture Tells A Story - Carbon Dioxide In Space Travel

As the Financial Times writes,

“Both claim green credits for their endeavours. Branson’s space flight company Virgin Galactic says it has a focus on “environmental sustainability.” Bezos believes space travel provides a potential solution to climate change. But the power required to fly there deserves examination.”

Neither requires anywhere near the amounts of CO₂ necessary to archive orbit. Blue Orbit, the Bezos endeavor, uses liquid hydrogen, creating CO₂ in its production; it is derived primarily from fossil fuels, but none in its use as a propellant. Branson’s flight, which combines the fuel necessary for an air take-off and a solid fuel propellant, generates CO₂.

“Virgin Galactic likens the carbon footprint for passengers to a business class return ticket on a transatlantic flight. Using data from the International Civil Aviation Organization that means about 1,238kg of CO2 per passenger.”

While the analogy is useful, the CO₂ cost per mile is perhaps more revealing.

Source: Carbon counter: space tourism’s environmental payload