this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023
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And this has NO effect on the environment right?
Of course it has an effect on the environment. Everything does. Tim Dodd did a nice analysis: How much do rockets pollute?
TL;DR: Falcon 9 is better than most rockets, as it doesn't use SRBs, and the first stage and fairings can be reused many times. Starship will be better still, as it uses methane instead of RP-1 (reducing soot), and the entire vehicle is designed with reuse in mind.
Ah, methane. That's the safe greenhouse gas. Why so many launches? What is being left in space?
Once burnt, yes, safe greenhouse gas. At least, no worse than any other combustion products. I mean, it would be nice if hydrogen wasn't such a pain, but we have to work with the universe we are given.
Methane leaks need to be contained to the amount practical, but they are doing that.