This is the UK’s first resource of its kind, a [1] guidance for UK’s space ports and launch operators that intends to shape consistent, evidence-based environmental practice for the UK space sector. With a global projected economy of $1.1 trillion by 2045, the sector of space exploration and space travel is expected to offer extraordinary potential over the next decade. The UK’s space sector already generates a whopping £18 billion and employs over 55,000 people, so some would say this good practice guidance is long overdue, but the need for a sector that produces 18% of the UK’s GDP to have guidance on how it can reduce its environmental impact, is a welcome addition.
Why the guidance is necessary
A paper [2] written in 2024 looked at the worldwide rocket launch emissions from 2019, within the paper it shows rockets throw out a stream of pollutants from burnt fuel affecting the stratosphere. In turn this affects the ozone layer, and up until now, launch operators do not have to measure their impact on the ozone layer. Rocket launch exhaust can include black carbon, alumina, nitrogen oxides, reactive chlorine, carbon dioxide and water vapor depending on launch vehicle and fuel type. The largest components of this exhaust emission are water vapor and carbon dioxide, both of which lead to cooling of the stratosphere that directly impacts the Earth’s protective ozone layer. Given the great success of the Montreal Protocol and its effect on the ozone layer over the last 20 years, this guidance could be crucial in the development of climate mitigation for the sector. This is especially relevant as over the past decade the number of rocket launches has grown around 4% year on year.
How it can help
This new ISEP guidance sits alongside the current Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE). The purpose of the AEE is to ensure prospective launch operators are aware of the potential environmental effects of their activities and are looking at taking steps to ‘avoid, mitigate or offset any potential significant environmental effects’. Some areas of this assessment include the effect on:
- Biodiversity
- Air quality
- Noise and vibration
- Landscape and visual impact
- Marine environment
This new ISEP guidance gives a clear pathway to how each section can be addressed. The aim is to limit the environmental impact from the sector by highlighting the importance of tracking data, reporting emissions and stating best practice when it comes to completing the AEE. As we know very well here at SHIFT, data driven changes can make a lasting impact on any organisations environmental impact within any sector, and to see data driven changes in a sector with such large emissions, is certainly a step in the right direction.
A bit more down to earth, if you need advice on reducing impacts in your UK building portfolio, please feel free to get in touch for a 30 minute no-obligation consultation. https://shiftenvironment.co.uk/contact/
[1] https://www.isepglobal.org/resources/blogs/2026/march/new-environmental-guidance-boosts-support-for-uk-spaceport-and-launch-operators/
[2] Brown, T. F. M., Bannister, M. T., Revell, L. E., Sukhodolov, T., & Rozanov, E. (2024). Worldwide rocket launch emissions 2019: An inventory for use in global models. Earth and Space Science, 11, e2024EA003668. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EA003668