Increase in space travel could damage ozone layer and severely disrupt atmosphere, study warns

‘Increases in rocket launches could expose people in the Northern Hemisphere to increased harmful UV radiation’

A projected increase in rocket launches for space missions in the next two decades could damage the ozone layer and change atmospheric wind circulation pattens, according to a new study.

A 10-fold increase in hydrocarbon-fueled launches, plausible within the next two decades based on recent trends in space traffic growth, could damage the protective ozone layer and severely disrupt the atmosphere, said the research, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres.

“We need to learn more about the potential impact of hydrocarbon-burning engines on the stratosphere and on the climate at the surface of the Earth,” Christopher Maloney, study lead author from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science, said in a statement.