SpaceX

[Techyd]

2 hours ago, march said:

The biproduct of burning liquid rocket fuel is water so arguably carbon neutral (solid fuel is different).

Liquid rocket fuel is kerosene, mixed with other reactants, it definitely produces greenhouse gases including as Co2, and quite a lot of it.

Have a read of this: 

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-01-30/space-launch-carbon-emissions

 

[march]

I stand corrected - that will teach me to check my facts with the BBC!

[electro_boy]

Yeah I think very few companies are working on hydrogen and oxygen powered rockets, out of the big players I thin only Blue Origin?  Those are the ones that produce water as an emission.  Then of course you have to ask how ecologically the hydrogen and oxygen were obtained.  Most people are using jet fuel plus additives or methane as the fuel.  I think some companies have ambitions to use bio mass produced methane to make a less impact but don't think anyone is actually doing that yet?  So there is the potential for large emissions if launches become a LOT more regular than they do now.

The SN9 test flight was amazing to watch as ever.  Shame that second engine didn't fire up properly on landing but still good of us to see a BIG boom!  I also thought it was a pretty ballsy move putting SN10 so close to the launch and landing site!  I wonder if any small fragments from SN9 exploding have damaged SN10.

I'm hoping we'll see SN10 laugh soon.   Just need to bolt on the engines and figure out what went wrong on SN9 and correct that for SN10.  Hopefully it was in the software so its a quick turn around rather than a hardware change which could take longer to fix.

Edited February 3, 2021 by electro_boy

[fmxa]

23 hours ago, Techyd said:

Liquid rocket fuel is kerosene, mixed with other reactants, it definitely produces greenhouse gases including as Co2, and quite a lot of it.

Have a read of this: 

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-01-30/space-launch-carbon-emissions

 

Raptor engines on Starship burn Methalox (liquid methane and liquid oxygen) vs RP1/ LOX in the Merlin engines on Falcon

[Bibs]

If anyone knows, it's @fmxa 

 

[fmxa]

On 03/02/2021 at 12:58, electro_boy said:

Yeah I think very few companies are working on hydrogen and oxygen powered rockets, out of the big players I thin only Blue Origin?  Those are the ones that produce water as an emission.  Then of course you have to ask how ecologically the hydrogen and oxygen were obtained.  Most people are using jet fuel plus additives or methane as the fuel.  I think some companies have ambitions to use bio mass produced methane to make a less impact but don't think anyone is actually doing that yet?  So there is the potential for large emissions if launches become a LOT more regular than they do now.

The SN9 test flight was amazing to watch as ever.  Shame that second engine didn't fire up properly on landing but still good of us to see a BIG boom!  I also thought it was a pretty ballsy move putting SN10 so close to the launch and landing site!  I wonder if any small fragments from SN9 exploding have damaged SN10.

I'm hoping we'll see SN10 laugh soon.   Just need to bolt on the engines and figure out what went wrong on SN9 and correct that for SN10.  Hopefully it was in the software so its a quick turn around rather than a hardware change which could take longer to fix.

The second and third stages of the old Saturn V used to burn liquid oxygen and hydrogen

[Bibs]