Like air transport, space activity is often criticized for its pollution, especially with the increase in the number of launches in recent years. In his book Space Reavers (Buchet Chastel, 224 pages, 19.50 euros), Raphaël Chevrier estimates that the carbon footprint of the launch phase of a rocket, “in this case an Ariane-5, is equivalent to… a Paris-New York return flight carrying two hundred and thirty-five passengers! Or around 250 tonnes of carbon dioxide”.
Overall, SpaceX’s Ariane or Falcon range launchers release between 200 and 400 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Compared to aviation, which represents 2.4% of global emissions, the share of space is estimated at 0.000078%, specifies the author of the work.
“We are working to reduce these emissions,” insists Martin Sion, executive chairman of ArianeGroup. Thus, the future Maïa minilauncher will have fuel “biomethane, so as to have a smaller carbon footprint”. This rocket will also be “partially reusable, which limits the use of resources, which is less harmful to the environment”. Furthermore, the company participates with the European Space Agency (ESA) in “carbon-free hydrogen projects for Ariane-6”.
Furthermore, underlines Mr. Sion, “the fight against global warming in our activity is not limited only to what comes out of the nozzles of our engines, but concerns our entire ecosystem”. Thus, taking advantage of its vast areas, the group will deploy photovoltaic panels, “so that, in 2025, a quarter of our electricity consumption will be produced at home”.
A sailing freighter, called Canopée
On the other hand, to transport the elements of Ariane-6, ArianeGroup opted for a sail cargo ship, called Canopée. “This allows us to save 35% in consumption, or 35% in greenhouse gases, on the loop that makes Bremen, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Bordeaux and Kourou. » The complete rotation, including return, should last approximately twenty-eight days at maximum speed for this cargo ship measuring 121 meters long, 22 meters wide and 36 meters high. It is the first boat of this size to move partly thanks to the wind, with four huge sails aided by two diesel engines.
More original, the dismantling of unused missiles. “While other countries burn the fuel, we decided to breed bacteria, select them so that they are capable of consuming the fuel and making salt water from it, he explains. This is a process that we are going to sell abroad, because we are the only ones to do it. »
You have 10% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.