Scotland's space sector commits to being 'greener'

At a glance

Scotland's space sector has published a "roadmap" to make the industry more environmentally friendly
The industry's commitments include using alternatives to toxic fuels
It said some Scottish companies were already working on being more sustainable
They include Edinburgh and Forres-based manufacturers

6 September 2022

Scotland's space industry has committed to taking more actions to reduce its impact on the environment.

The newly-published Space Sustainability: A Roadmap for Scotland, external sets out plans to use alternatives to toxic fuels and develop reusable rockets.

The report said Scottish-based manufacturers were already working on "green propellants" for powering small rockets into space.

It said Edinburgh-headquartered Skyrora and Forres-based Orbex were repurposing waste from biodiesel production and using non-recyclable plastics to make fuel.

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Skyrora is working towards launching satellites from a spaceport in Shetland, and Orbex from one in Sutherland.

The roadmap also includes a commitment to reduce space debris - fragments of broken old satellites and rockets littering Earth's orbit.

University of Strathclyde has been working on microsatellites with sensors for detecting and analysing how they fragment during atmospheric re-entry.

Space Scotland's Environmental Task Force, space strategy firm AstroAgency and Glasgow-based Optimat developed the strategy with funding from Scottish Enterprise.