Ways to Reduce the Level of Environmental Pollution During the Operation of Rocket and Space Technology
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The paper presents an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of ways to reduce environmental pollution due to the rapid development of the rocket and space industry in the world. Environmental problems arise both in near-Earth space and directly on the Earth's surface. Separated lower stages of launch vehicles, moving along a ballistic trajectory, are destroyed due to collision with a solid surface, and fuel residues fall into the soil, polluting large areas. As for the upper stages, after completing the flight mission and separating the payload, they remain in outer space for a long time and move along an orbital trajectory. This creates a danger due to the possible collision of this "space debris" with other space objects. The paper considers such ways to solve the problem of environmental pollution as the use of jet engines or external forces to brake space objects with their subsequent transfer to dense layers of the atmosphere; reducing the total volume of fuel residues in the tanks of spent stages; transition to new, non-toxic or low-toxic types of liquid fuel for the lower stages of launch vehicles; removal of fuel residues from tanks by the time the stage contacts the earth's surface; widespread introduction of reusable stages. The need for immediate creation of a modern regulatory framework with clear requirements for launch vehicles and responsibility for violations, and consolidation of new approaches in legislative and engineering standards is noted. The results of the work can be used in the creation of new or modernization of existing rocket and space technology.
DOI: 10.15421/472504
Institution: Oles Honchar Dnipro National University
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4412149688