Rocket emissions and debris from spacecraft falling out of orbit are having increasingly detrimental effects on global atmospheric chemistry. Improved monitoring and regulation are urgently needed to create an environmentally sustainable space industry.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41561-022-01001-5/MediaObjects/41561_2022_1001_Fig1_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41561-022-01001-5/MediaObjects/41561_2022_1001_Fig2_HTML.png)
References
Ross, M. N. & Toohey, D. W. EOS https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EO133493 (2019).
Dallas, J. S., Raval, S., Lavarez Gaitan, J. P., Saydam, S. & Dempster, A. G. J. Clean. Prod. 255, 120209 (2020).
Schulz, L. & Glassmeier, K-H. Adv. Space Res. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2020.10.036 (2021).
United Nations. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (2020); https://ozone.unep.org/treaties/montreal-protocol
Ross, M., Mills, M. & Toohey, D. Geophys. Res. Lett. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL044548 (2010).
World Meteorological Organisation. Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2018 (2018); https://ozone.unep.org/sites/default/files/2019-05/SAP-2018-Assessment-report.pdf
Morgan Stanley. Space: Investing in the Final Frontier forecast dated July 24 2020 (accessed 8 April 2021); https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/investing-in-space
Miraux, L. Sci. Total Environ. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150862 (2022).
ESA’s Annual Space Environment Report (ESA, 2021); https://www.sdo.esoc.esa.int/environment_report/Space_Environment_Report_latest.pdf
Lewis, H. G., Saunders, A., Swinerd, G. & Newland, R. J. J. Geophys. Res. Space Phys. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JA016482 (2011).
Plane, J. M. C., Feng, W. & Dawkins, E. C. M. Chem. Rev. 115, 497–4541 (2015).
Glassmeier, K. H., Richter, O., Vogt, J., Möbus, P. & Schwalb, A. Int. J. Astrobiol. 8, 147–159 (2009).
Boley, A. C. & Byers, M. Sci. Rep. 11, 10642 (2021).
James, A. D. et al. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 18, 4519–4531 (2018).
Ross, M., Toohey, D., Peinemann, M., & Ross, P. Astropolitics https://doi.org/10.1080/14777620902768867 (2009).
Emmert, J., Stevens, M. H., Bernath, P. F., Drob, D. P. & Boone, C. D. Nat. Geosci. 5, 868–871 (2012).
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Commercial Space Vehicle Emissions Modeling (The National Academies Press, 2021); https://doi.org/10.17226/26142
Cnossen, I. J. Geophys. Res. Space Phys. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028623 (2020).
Maury, T., Loubet, P., Morales Serrano, S., Gallice, A. & Sonneman, G. Acta Astronaut. 170, 122–135 (2020).
Larson, E. et al. Earth’s Future 5, 37–48 (2017).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Peer review
Peer review information
Nature Geoscience thanks Richard H. Moore and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shutler, J.D., Yan, X., Cnossen, I. et al. Atmospheric impacts of the space industry require oversight. Nat. Geosci. 15, 598–600 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01001-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01001-5
This article is cited by
-
The dark side of Earth observation
Nature Sustainability (2024)
-
Review on the environmental impact of emissions from space launches: a case study for areas affected by the Russian space programme
Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2022)