Scotland's space sector commits to being 'greener'

Image source, Orbex

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

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

The newly-published 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.