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Comment by youngtaff | Hacker News Reader

> In the long run, SpaceX wants to ramp up the Starship launch cadence to many daily flights from multiple launch sites.

And how much is that going to pollute our atmosphere?

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Potentially more then one might assume. This is an area that needs more research, but initial estimates seem to indicate that an increase in launched very much warrants concern.

CBC made this nice interactive graph highlighting the issue.

https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/features/2023/rocket-polluti...

I'm a huge proponent of space flight, but my main concern is how the drive towards commoditization, again, seems to gloss over potential hidden costs with a complex, global impact.

Thanks for the link!

Starship doesn't emit most of the emissions listed in that article because it uses clean burning CH4 + O2. Of "soot (black carbon), nitrogen oxides, alumina particles, chlorine, hydrochloric acid and water vapour", only water vapour is a concern.

And it emits about the same amount of CO2 as a trans-pacific jet flight.

Less than aviation?

Certainly more than aviation per passenger * mile (assuming altitude being the traveled distance)

> Certainly more than aviation per passenger * mile (assuming altitude being the traveled distance)

But then it's much less of passenger * mile with the given definition.

I don't think many people would find it appealing to no longer flying in order for billionaires to fly on rockets.

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