WASHINGTON — After years of waiting, Richard Branson’s journey to space this month on a Virgin Galactic vessel was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming. Instead, the jaunt attracted significant criticism — about its carbon footprint.
With Jeff Bezos set to launch on a Blue Origin rocket on July 20, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX planning an all-civilian orbital mission in September, the nascent space tourism industry finds itself facing tough questions about its environmental impact.
Right now, rocket launches as a whole don’t happen often enough to pollute significantly.
“The carbon dioxide emissions are totally negligible compared to other human activities or even co…
Keep on reading: Environmental concerns grow as space tourism lifts off